Issue 92 19 June to 25 July 2017 Letter from

The Murray–DarlingNow in our Basin tenth year.

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B Hervey Bay r u e rn v e i r tt R e iv e R r v e i o v g i N e Taroom R r r Gayndah o a r k l W e e g iv e r R 0 r 50 100 n Da n e wso C a v A r i e L u p R b oo ur C d n River

r N Kilometres a Legend W Chesterton Range N.P. Charleville State border Produced by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Mitchell Kingaroy Roma Maroochydore Quilpie Morven Basin border (2014). Cheepie Miles Data acquired from the following sources: Highway ine River Chinchilla B ndam r Co is b River/creek State borders, roads, towns, national parks: a k n e e r e M Condamine r r Geoscience e e R River/creek outside M–DB a v v C i i i v r R l Dalby e R a e a n r n n City Town/city outside M–DB /creeks/streams/reservoirs/lakes/locks: o h o o l o c a Surat l l a (pop. ≥30,000) e B u Geoscience Australia e R Major water storage B B Wyandra i v Tara e City/Town Wetland or natural lake Weirs, salt interception schemes: MDBA r (pop. 10,000–29,999) Gatton Brisbane Ramsar wetland Basin boundaries: SEWPaC, 2008 Town Reserve/park/forest Toowoomba Geographical coordinates, DATUM: GDA 1994 Thrushton (pop. 1,000–9,999) iver National nie R Irrigation district* ek Park oo Cooper Cre k M r Moonie Ramsar sites: SEWPaC e Beardmore Reservoir ve Millmerran Township Thargomindah e Ri Snowy Mountains area r St George r C Bollon i e (pop. ≤999) r W Allora Snowy Mountains area: CSIRO e e n Tweed Heads- Lock and/or weir i iv b Jack Taylor Weir R e k e Coolangatta N n Salt interception scheme N e n e o r l Warwick C a B Inglewood a l a l * Combines data provided by the states to give a picture of irrigation districts in Australia. The dataset does l a Goondiwindi g Coolmunda Reservoir k n e not show actual on-ground irrigation but rather administrative0 boundaries50 for irrigation. 100 The definitions of u r Stanthorpe e Currawinya N.P. ive r Currawinya Lakes M R ) C a D o cintyre River QL irrigation districts for each state differ i and as a result boundaries are larger or grouped in some states. r lg Dirranbandi Ma D ( k e u u er c iv C m iv e Kilometres a Lismore l Hungerford R Culgoa N.P. re Texas R e o sq rn iz ro e t a R v S P iv e Mungindi er S Goodooga Tenterfield

Torrington State er LENGTH OF MAJOR RIVERS IN THE MURRAY–DARLING BASIN (Not to map scale) iv Gwydir R Recreation Area R iver Pindari Reservoir C ie ver la rr Ri Lightning Ridge Se r r i n Moree vern e DARLING 2740 km ve B r ra Riv nc i Enngonia e ar er (N e R iv N SW) River go R Warialda MURRAY 2530 km e ra rr a Me a kh hi Riv River F W o er MURRUMBIDGEErome 1690 km B Ma Wanaaring Narran Lake cin Grafton r tyr Glen Innes CONDAMINE-CULGOA 1375 km Narran Lakes ve Inverell e R Nocoleche Ri ive Nature n r wo LACHLAN 1370 km Reserve ar Copeton Reservoir Bourke Weir B Walgett r e iv MACQUARIE 950 km R Bourke Brewarrina Wee Waa Mann WARREGO 830 km Na Bundarra Coffs Harbour moi River Mt. Kaputar N.P. NAMOI 700 km Narrabri

PAROO 640 km Gundabooka N.P. Armidale Louth Byrock Pilliga West Uralla BOGAN 600 km State Forest Split Rock

Paroo–Darling k Manilla Reservoir GOULBURN 560 km e National Park e Macquarie Marshes r Pilliga C White Cliffs er Keepit Reservoir acle GWYDIR 560 km iv Nature s M ay R g R M Coonamble Reserve x ive n o rli a r CASTLEREAGH 550 km a c C D q Paroo–Darling u a Tamworth LODDON 390 km State Conservation Area r i Gunnedah e Coonabarabran Chaffey Reservoir

R 290 km i WIMMERA v Warrambungle e Gulargambone N.P. Port Macquarie r C a Cobar s Werris Creek Wilcannia t Nyngan le re Warren ag h R iver Coolah er iv Coolbaggie Goonoo er R M gar Riv r annin Nature State lbra te g Riv Broken Hill Ta n er Reserve Forest u Dubbo H Menindee Main Weir Tottenham B og Dunedoo an G Muswellbrook R Narromine oulburn River iv Menindee er Lakes Menindee Burrendong Tullamore Reservoir Port Augusta Weir 32 Wellington Mudgee Kinchega N.P. IE H unt Windamere er R Goobang N.P. iv Yathong Reservoir er ch ran State Forest Round Hill ab Nature Reserve Rylstone Newcastle Peterborough An Ivanhoe g r in ive Condobolin SOUTH rl n R a Willandra la D Creek ch Port Pirie t La a e Lake Cargelligo Parkes Danggali r Portland G Conservation Pooncarie Lake Cargelligo Forbes Orange bury R kes iver AUSTRALIA Park aw H Lake Brewster Lithgow er Bathurst iv Hillston R ng Carcoar Reservoir Burra rli Da Mungo N.P. Grenfell Cowra Oberon Sydney Clare B Morgan Lock 6 la Riverland West n Wyangala Reservoir R Lake d ive y Lock 5 Wentworth C r Murra Lock 9 Cocoparra N.P. r e r Lock 3 Lock 7 Great Cumbung e e Mildura k iv Wollongong Lock 2 Lock 8 Lock 10 Cliffs N.P. Swamp Griffith R ly Banrock Station il Renmark Lock 11 d M n Barmera Lock 4 urrum Crookwell o bidge ll Blanchetown e Riv o N.P. er Hanwood Young Lock 1 Robinvale W Gawler Fivebough– Loxton Tuckerbil Temora Boorowa Swan Reach Lock 15 Hay Goulburn Australia’s three longest rivers run Hattah– Leeton Kulkyne Murray Sunset N.P. Lakes River Nowra through the Basin. However, in the Billiat Conservation Mu Adelaide Mannum Hattah Hattah Lakes rra Oolambeyan N.P. Park y Yanga N.P. Hattah-Kulkyne N.P. Yass driest inhabited continent on earth, k Murray Bridge ree N Bi C Lake less than 6% of rainfall makes it into iem llab nco er Karoonda Ouyen ur ong Ya Burrinjuck George iv Riv Cre Lockhart R Lake er Werai Forest ek Reservoir n Pinnaroo E ve these slow flowing rivers. The Murray– Alexandrina dw Brindabella N.P. a ar lh d R Canberra a W iv T o Darling system therefore carries one of Swan Hill e u h Clayton Tailem Bend Murrayville a r S Lower Lakes and k Bi m Blowering ool llabo Coorong Ri n u Goolwa Sea Lake ver g Reservoir Ginini the world’s smallest flow volumes for its C Henty t ACT Lake Albert re Flats Barrages ek R T Finley i Tinderry Murray Mouth Big Desert Wyperfeld N.P. Kerang upp v Barham al e Nature Meningie Wilderness Hopetoun Wetlands Koondrook–Perricoota Cree size — many creeks and wetlands receiving k r Namadgi N.P. Reserve The Coorong Park Forest Millewa Forest Gunbower Talbingo Lake Albacutya Torrumbarry Weir Kerang Forest R Reservoir water only in times of above-average rainfall. ive r M Lake River Murray ur Barmah Forest Cabramurra For comparison, the average yearly flow of the Keith ray Maragle State Forest Lake Hindmarsh Kow Swamp Yarrawonga Weir Hume Reservoir Adaminaby Basin’s largest river is less than the daily flow of L Echuca Gou Broken Cr o lb Lake Buloke urn eek Wodonga Nhill d Riv Brazil’s Amazon river. d er M Kosciuszko Cooma o Wangaratta O i N.P. Donald r n v tt e Shepparton e a Bordertown A R ns M iv v r R K itt Blue Lake o i e i a R c v iv e R n a e iv B er iv Little Desert N.P. r ro w er The Basin has significant social, economic and o R R ke s i n Winton Wetlands a Horsham Avo v Bega d n R er e R R Dartmouth r iv p iv a e Benalla i r Bendigo s Waranga Basin e v h r Reservoir environmental value. More than two million people a e c i p Mt. Buffalo N.P. r Alpine N.P. R m Snow Cairn a y Kingston SE Wimme Lake Nillahcootie Bright Rive live there, including from many Aboriginal nations C r ra R Curran ive Eppalock r Reservoir Reservoir Seymour whose spiritual connection to its environment dates Maryborough Goulbur Mansfield Alpine N.P. Omeo Eden n Ri Halls Gap Tullaroop ver Eildon Reservoir back many thousands of years. Australia’s most Reservoir iver Grampians N.P. nelg R important agricultural region, the Basin produces Gle Kinglake N.P. Lake Eildon N.P. Mi tch Ararat el around one-third of our food supply and billions l R Sunbury i r ve e r iv Ballarat of dollars for the national economy. Agriculture R s Mount n Bairnsdale i and associated industries helped to create, and k ve Hamilton p rra Ri r Gambier o Ya H VICTORIA continue to support, the Basin’s towns and diverse L Lakes Entrance a T rob communities. e Ri Sale Cranbourne ver Portland Warrnambool Geelong Traralgon A challenge in managing the Basin’s resources is delivering sufficient water for both humans and a healthy environment. Sixteen of its 30,000 wetlands are Ramsar Convention listed as internationally-important habitat. However, many plant and animal species are declining (including the much-loved river red gum) and at least 95 are threatened. Factors involved include taking too much water for human use (especially when combined with periodic drought) and controls on the way water moves around (eg. dams and weirs).

InSignificant This Issue flood and drought events Rainfall variability Murray–Darling Basin 30,000 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Rainfall anomaly 1895 1917 1952 1956 1974 1993 1997 2004–2013 (mm) • MPsStart of the withoutFlooding along knowledgeFlooding in the Highest Basin inflows Widespread flooding• FloodingWhat across Beginning of longestabout drought Pre-School • Paris Withdrawal 25,000 ‘Federation Drought’ the River Murray River Murray in recorded history across the Basin, QLD, NSW in Australia’s recorded history Below -500 which lasts for 7 years 1950 cause widespread known as the ‘big wet’ and Victoria 1914 1921 Record rainfall flooding -499 to -400 causes widespread 2000 Severe drought Flooding across Murray Mouth closes and flooding in Condamine 20,000 leads to the end the entire Basin 1981 requires dredging -399 to -300 • Energeticof commercial Australiaand Warrego rivers •Drought forcesHinch. Croucher. Pell. • 51st Star..?! navigation on the Adelaide to take -299 to -200 Murray and 1931 90% of its water 2006 1944 1968 Lowest water Darling rivers Flooding along from the Murray. -199 to -100 Severe drought Due to severe inflows on record 15,000 1909 the River Murray The Murray Mouth Flood in the throughout NSW, drought, closes for the first Murray and Vic and SA. falls to 1% of capacity -99 to -50 time in recorded 2010-11 Wimmera rivers Murray ceases to Widespread flooding history • Healthy Australiaflow in some areas • Finkel. Energy.throughout the Basin • To change our (DRY) AVERAGE BELOW -49 to 0 Flow (GL per year) Flow 10,000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 0 to 49 June 2013 50 to 99 • Schools5,000 on the • Australia at the front line. Constitution... 100 to 199 200 to 299 0 300 to 399 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Ground Floor • AMA wants same sex. 400 to 499 Above 500 • Letter From America (WET) AVERAGE ABOVE Water inflows in the Murray–Darling Basin can be highly in the early and mid 1950s and three peaks in the 1970s. The variable from year to year and differ between the north and three periods 1895-1902, 1940-1948 and 1998-2010 were dry Northern basin annual flows Flow measured on at Bourke Rainfall throughout Australia can be generally The plots for the years 2004–2013 show that within the rainfall is highly variable. Regulation structures south. This above graphic of the last 116 years of river flows in both the northern and southern Basin. described as variable. The Murray–Darling Basin is no Murray–Darling Basin, there was significant variability managed by MDBA in cooperation with basin states of the River Murray at Euston and the Darling River at Bourke Southern basin annual flows Looking closer at the graph you will notice that above–average Flow measured on River Murray at Euston exception to this. The annual rainfall anomaly graphic in rainfall anomalies from year to year. For example, such as dams and weirs assist in maintaining demonstrates this. flows in the northern and southern Basin do not necessarily (above) illustrates this variability throughout the in 2008 a significant proportion of the northern Basin appropriate water supply through drought periods. Average annual flow levels Murray–Darling Basin. was wetter than average, while the southern Basin Flows of the Darling River at Bourke (shaded light blue) can coincide. What might be a very wet year with higher flows in (Data source: Bureau of Meteorology) experienced drier than normal conditions throughout. be seen to be generally representative of flows in the northern the southern Basin does not always turn out to be a wet year An annual rainfall anomaly is a measurement of the Across the entire Basin, 2010 stands out as an Basin rivers. Flows of the River Murray at Euston (shaded with higher flows in the northern Basin and vice versa. Take difference between actual rainfall received in any year extremely wet year, while 2006 and 2007 were very dry dark blue), can be seen to be generally representative of flows the year 1909; the Murray experienced flow levels almost compared to the long-term average rainfall. If a given in the southern Basin rivers. twice its average and it flooded. The Darling at Bourke years throughout the Basin. location experiences a year where it receives above © Murray–Darling Basin experienced flows of about half its average. There are years There are obvious peaks of well above average–flows, as well average precipitation, the rainfall anomaly will have One of the challenges faced by the Murray–Darling Authority for and on behalf of the such as 1950 where the flows for the Darling were almost 10 Commonwealth of Australia, 2014. as troughs for significant periods of below–average flows. The a positive number (shades of blue). If a location has a Basin Authority in managing the water resources of times its average, and the Murray only slightly above average. With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the MDBA River Murray peaks of 1917, 1931, 1952, 1956, 1974, 1993 and drier than average year, the rainfall anomaly will be a the Basin is delivering sufficient water for both human logo, all photographs, graphics and trade marks, this publication is 2010 are particularly prominent. The Darling has two peaks (Data source: MDBA/ Bureau of Meteorology) negative number (shades of red). and environmental needs on an ongoing basis, where provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence. Letter From Canberra // Issue 92 Letter from

Now in our tenth year. CanberrA monthly digest of news from around Australia. a Saving you time; now in its tenth year.

About Us Contents Affairs of State Media...... 16 43 Richmond Terrace Editorial...... 3 Richmond, Melbourne, 3000 IT...... 16 Victoria, Australia Feature...... 3 Justice...... 16 P +61 408 033 110 Governance...... 4 [email protected] Welfare...... 18 www.affairs.com.au Party Happenings...... 4 Letter From Canberra is a monthly public Transport...... 18 affairs bulletin, a simple précis, distilling and Industrial Relations and Employment....7 interpreting public policy and government Foreign Affairs...... 18 decisions, which affect business oppor- Business, Economy, Manufacturing and tunities in Victoria and Australia. Finance...... 9 Defence...... 19 Written for the regular traveller, or people Health...... 20 with meeting-filled days, it’s more about Trade...... 11 business opportunities than politics. Sports...... 20 Letter from Canberra is independent. It’s not Tax...... 11 party political or any other political. It does not Society...... 20 have the imprimatur of government at any level. Climate Change, Environment and Energy...... 12 The only communication tool of its type, Letter From America...... 22 Letter from Canberra keeps subscribers abreast of recent developments in the policy Agriculture, Cattle and Water...... 15 DOG CORNER...... 23 arena on a local, state and federal level. Mining...... 15 Vale...... 23 Published by A.B Urquhart & Company Pty Ltd trading as Affairs of State. ABOUT THE EDITOR— ALISTAIR URQUHART, BA LLB Disclaimer: Material in this publication is general comment and not intended as advice Alistair Urquhart graduated from National University in Canberra, in Law, on any particular matter. Professional advice History and Politics. He may even hold the record for miles rowed on Lake Burley Griffin. should to be sought before action is taken. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor to the Supreme Court of Victoria, and remains a (non-prac- Material is complied from various sources ticing) member of the Law Institute of Victoria. Previously, he graduated from high school in Bethesda, including newspaper articles, press releases, gov- Maryland, and had many opportunities to become aware of the workings of Washington D.C. ernment publications, Hansard, trade journals, etc. For 30 years, he listened every Sunday evening to the late Alistair Cooke and his Letter from America. Alistair’s Copyright: This newsletter is copyright. No part early career was mostly in the coal industry, where he became involved with energy, environmental and water may be reproduced, stored in or introduced issues, and later in the SME finance sector. into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any He found time to be involved in a range of community activities where he came to understand form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, some of the practical aspects of dealing with government and meeting people across the political photocopying, recording or otherwise), without spectrum. He now chairs a large disability employment service, including its British operations. the prior written permission from the publisher. Affairs of State respects your privacy. While we do believe that the information contained in Letter from Canberra will be useful to you, please advise us if you do not wish to receive any further communications from us. Edited words in this edition: 16,632 Staff Editor Alistair Urquhart [email protected] Sub-editor: Will Pasznyk [email protected] Interim Sub-editor: Thom Nixon Design Andrew Morley [email protected] Subscriptions & Advertising Alistair Urquhart, as above. The Editor outside his favourite Spring Street Cafe with a wonderful school friend. In front of (some of) the Victorian version of Canberra' s civil service. A touch of History included. 2 19 June to 25 July 2017

‘fighting’ together. And getting much of what they FEATURE fought for. For those who might remember Peter Making good citizens Boyle, a leading instigator of those times and If Prime Minister Turnbull wants to instil the ASBA national President. ASBA was across Australian values, how about we teach them all states and territories. Peter died ten years as well. In all of the governments statements ago, 17 September 2007. Many of us do miss him. that I’ve read in the past week, I’ve not seen one The new version of TV show Utopia is now playing reference to the need to ramp up civics education and as boring as it makes itself, in one way, it is in schools to address what is widely regarded necessary to watch, to see acted out the shame as a democracy deficit in this country, or, put which is (tooo much of) the Public Service(s) in another way, lack of confidence in the system. If Australia. In certain places and agencies and this is not a values issue, then I’m not sure what EDITORIAL buildings and corridors, it is good but many people it is. In the various Lowy Institute polls over the Next in our Troubled Land have been and are being hired without consider- years, surely one of the more troubling – even Two of the quietest sectors ‘behind the limelight’ ation of their contributing to a productive Australia. shocking – findings is that less than half young or spotlight, of the current Australian media, people of voting age polled, ‘those aged 18-29’, Your Editor has been to several high quality and hence out of the considered thoughts of the believe democracy is preferable to the alternative. energy forums in the past week, including Australian public, are the small business sector on The climate issue, as well as several strong Young people might not have heard of Winston and the coal industry. Might sound interesting to Coffee shop discussions on Society and a couple Churchill’s dictum that democracy is the worst some purveyors for the Editor to write that, but yet of challenging church sermons. Plus trying to form of government except for all the others, despite his interest in public policy and government communicate with the paperless optuS. So, but it would’ve seemed reasonable to assume and business more generally, it is the former which again the rush to get out this Edition. No doubt they would understand better the attributes of are a large part of his heritage, career and deep all readers are also thinking hard on a range of a democratic system in contrast to the various interest. Not that the coal industry has that many societal issues and challenges at this time. alternatives. In an era when STEM subjects players. However, it has and has had, and should ‘science, technology, engineering and maths’ are have, a very significant part in Australia’s produc- Cover. Energy comes after Water as the prized, civic courses remain a poor relation, if they tivity and prosperity, and should be marketed and most important thing for anyone on the exist at all. Civics and citizenship education is no promoted to the full Australian audience. Its inter- Planet. So the Cover map focuses on one of longer compulsory beyond year 6, and if taught ested parties, so many of them, should get out into the main pieces of water geography that we thereafter occupies a mere 20 hours a year. the news more. Or are too many of them scared. have. Taken from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. Much more detail next Edition. Professor Geoffrey Blainey believes Civics should The small business community is like trying to be taught between ages 10 and 15. Civics teaching herd cats. Very difficult to get them to rise up Good Reading. has also fallen victim to the tedious culture wars in and hit the rallies together. There is COSBOA, the Coming up which governments of right and left have sparred Council of Small Business Associations of Australia, ʇʇ Water and the Murray-Darling over the sort of influences they would like to see based in Canberra, which brings (some thirty-two) Basin. Whose is it? exerted – from John Howard’s determination to professional associations together, professionally. ʇʇ Doing Business in Indonesia, Leith Doody counter a ‘black armband’ view of Australia’s his- Not quite sure how to say it, but the Australia as ʇʇ Gonski at Ground Level, Cheryl Lacel tory to the latest iteration under former education we have known it misses something like ASBA, ʇʇ 100 years of Australian Industry, Dennis Troedel minister Christopher Pyne, in which civics classes the Australian Small Business Association, which are being required to emphasise Australia’s ‘Judeo- bought busy small business owners out of their Inside Christian’ heritage, writes Tony Walker in The Age. factories and farms and shops in the mid-1980’s, to ʇʇ MPs without knowledge rise up to rallies around Australia, not to close off ʇʇ Energetic Australia Language requirements the streets as the unions and other socialindustries ʇʇ Healthy Australia for would-be citizens do, yet at city and community halls and outside ʇʇ Schools on the Ground Floor Liberal politicians from non-English speaking union-picketed meat-works and placading rallies ʇʇ What about Pre-School migrant backgrounds have defended toughened outside certain union head offices. The Objective ʇʇ Hinch. Croucher. Pell. language requirements for aspiring Australian was to give the smaller end of town, a very large ʇʇ Finkel. Energy. citizens, arguing that the ability to communicate percentage of Australian industry and business ʇʇ Australia at the front line. properly with others is critical to successful and Society, a Say, alongside the Big End of ʇʇ Letter From America migration and a multicultural society. town, the unions and the non-knowing public ʇʇ Paris Withdrawal The parents of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Jason servants and politicians. The Dollar Sweets Story ʇʇ 51st Star..?! Falinski and Julia Banks arrived in Australia was a part of it all. And Mudginberri. Gosh. The ʇʇ To change our Constitution.. with little or no English. But the federal MPs Seymour Abattoirs. City and Farming businesses ʇʇ AMA wants same sex. Advertise with Us — Get your voice to the people that matter. Want to get your firm or product in front of the power-holders of Australasia? Advertising with Letter from Canberra is the best way to do so. Read by CEOs, MPs, and movers-and-shakers in Australia and beyond, our magazine gets your voice to the people who matter.

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3 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

say their forebears either could have passed involving individuals on humanitarian visas, funded by wealthy foreign interests. On the the Turnbull government’s proposed test or or their children, Weekend Australian. same day as her speech, Greens senator Larissa that, even if they couldn’t, times have changed. Waters illustrated the point, authorising a political A better way Under the sweeping citizenship package, advertisement opposing the Adani mine that Prime Minister Turnbull has said Australia’s applicants would have to score a sex on the said: ‘ no consent from traditional owners. No century-old defence laws could be adjusted IELTS, the primary international language test, way’. This statement is false. Adani has agreed in accordance with the recommendations amounting to a ‘competent’ level of English. to six Indigenous Land Use Agreements ‘ILUAs’ of the Coroner’s inquest into the Lindt Cafe Labor has rejected the measure out of fears it with three traditional owner groups- the Juru, siege, raising the possibility of the Australian demands ‘university level’ fluency that many Jaeggi and Berrimah native title groups. Adani Defence Force being given greater leeway Australians could never reach, 25/06/17, The Age. also obtained the consent of the vast majority of to step into terrorist incidents, The Age. Wangan & Jagalingou ‘W & J’. The W & J agreement Sadly Force backs Dutton was approved by a 294-1 vote. Waters is wrong Two federal Senators have had to leave the An alleged incident involving a boy being ‘led’ into if she thinks there’s no consent from traditional federal parliament because they do not meet the Manus Island refugee compound was not owners. Or was she demanding traditional owners the requirements to be a representative in the referred to Papua New Guinea police until four withhold consent? If so, why are the Greens telling federal Parliament. Senator , days after Immigration Minister Peter Dutton sen- Aboriginal people what they can and can’t agree Green from Queensland, Canadian-born, sationally raised it in a television interview. But to? Nyunggai Warren Mundine, Herald Sun. Scott Ludlam Green from new Zealand. the head of the Australian Border force strongly Latham moves on Perhaps three backed Dutton’s view that the incident ‘contrib- On the eve of the federal budget, former ALP The Minister for Resources uted’ and was ‘correlated’ to the Good Friday leader Mark Latham announced he was joining has resigned from that position but not rampage five days later in which drunken PNG the Liberal Democratic Party, headed by David from Parliament, pending a High Court soldiers opened fire on the compound, The Age. Leyonhjelm. Latham, who led Labor to defeat decision. He says his mother unknown to him Heading Bush against former Liberal Prime Minister John signed him up for Italian citizenship some Twelve of the government’s biggest public service Howard in the 2004 federal election, made the years ago without his knowledge. He has an departments could be on the move if they can’t announcement via Facebook and immediately Italian father and an Australian mother. justify their presence in the capital. They might sparked speculation a return to active politics be forced to move to regional towns as the might be on the cards. ‘I support 80 to 90 per federal government begins forcing over-manned cent of the Liberal Democrats’ platform- pretty departments to relocate. Melbourne and good for someone with strong views formed Sydney-based offices could also be sent bush. over a long period of time’, The Age. The National Party push to force relocations of Liberal guidance on new fed director departments and agencies will be considered Prime Minister Turnbull did face an unprecedented by cabinet in August, The Australian. split in the national campaign operations of NSW spending big the Liberal Party, with the Queensland LNP NSW is spending at a record rate on threatening to direct its own state-based federal Infrastructure, with a strong focus on schools campaign for the next election. The potential split and hospitals, as it continues to recycle in the organisational wing of the party came as GOVERNANCE billions of dollars raised by selling power, port Liberal state presidents and senior party members and registry business, The Australian. launched a rearguard move to block the Prime Future of journalism…and objectivity Minister’s candidate for the next federal director Liberal Senator Abetz released a statement New security for flights to US of the party, 32-year-old Andrew Bragg, a branch criticising how senators would have the power to Flights from Australia to the US will be subjected member from Turnbull’s electorate, as the party’s bring before the committee ‘any journalist who to greater security screening as part of tougher next federal director to replace veteran cam- they believe is publishing fake news, propaganda, rules for all US-bound flights to protect paigner Tony Nutt, who resigned in March, The Age. disinformation or clickbait’. ‘While the Senate against terrorism. The move, announced by rightly examines how taxpayer-funded broad- US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, However, since mid-July, the new casters spend their money, individual journalists means all Australian US-bound passengers federal director is Andrew Hirst. have never been dragged before Senate Estimates and their electronic devices will be subject to Rumblings as leaders locked and the Senate shouldn’t be in the business of more robust screening and explosives testing. in race to the bottom doing so. This insidious proposal will undermine The new measures are likely to slow the boarding Voters have stopped listening to both Prime the freedom of the media and must be called procedure for flights to the US but are considered Minister and Opposition out for the totalitarianism that it is’. The Age. necessary to thwart the growing sophistication Leader Bill Shorten. In the latest Newspoll, Utopia. Next week’s of terrorist devices. However, airlines will be both have a negative approval rating (voter The Turnbull government will spend $80 million relieved the measures did not include an expansion satisfaction minus dissatisfaction) of 23. At a year on its new parliamentary entitlements of the ban on carry-on laptops beyond the 10 the last election, one in three didn’t vote authority, with its public servant CEOs to be paid a Middle Eastern airports nominated in March, for either of the major parties, The Age. $340,000 salary package. The government’s budget writes Cameron Steward in The Australian. Ritualistic papers reveal for the first time what it will cost to The Speaker is biased, the rules are broken, and set up and run the Independent Parliamentary democracy is shamed. If you look at almost every Expenses Authority – announced in the wake of the single question time answer in the current parlia- travel scandal that ended Sussan Ley’s frontbench ment, Malcolm Turnbull or the minister who was career – to monitor, administer, advise, audit asked the question just bucket the opposition with and report on MPs’ entitlement claims. The little regard for relevance, Graham Richardson, a authority will cost taxpayers $313 million over former federal labor minister, The Age. the next four years, starting at $76 million next year and peaking at $82 million in 2019-2020, The Nearby Age. For further detail, watch Utopia on TV. Turnbull’s team would rather stare at their phones than help with the heavy lifting. Liberals’ ASIO boss sparks lifeless backbenchers just look bored. Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation MPs have been heard to complain they find director-general Duncan Lewis has declined to PARTY HAPPENINGS question time dull, writes David Crowe, The elaborate on his claim that there is ‘absolutely Greens’ deceit threatens Age. And the other side of the House? no evidence’ of a link between Australia’s Marcia Langton was spot on in her speech where refugee intake and terrorism, despite multiple she said Green groups were undermining the Islamic terrorist acts in the past three years interests of Aboriginal people by deception, often

4 19 June to 25 July 2017

Labor MPs lash Albanese on criticism ‘grand schemes’ such as the National Disability believe. The problem for Mr Turnbull is a logjam Senior Labor MP Anthony Albanese’s public inter- Scheme, it is the Coalition that has to find the of fixed-date state elections in 2018 and early ventions on the federal budget and a controversial money to fund these services, as well as those 2019, and a constitutional requirement for ‘(Employ) Australians First’ advertisement have in health and education. He will also say that senators who were elected to half-terms at infuriated Labor MPs, with some believing he has Labor’s commitment to reinstate the deficit levy last year’s double dissolution election to face destabilised Bill Shorten. Shorten’s supporters are on high-income earners, combined with the voters again. A senior Labor source said the now pushing back, claiming the NSW MP – who hike in the Medicare Levy, would push the top ‘very, very likely window’ for the federal election fought Shorten for the Labor leadership in marginal tax rate to 49.5 per cent- its highest was August to September 2018, The Age. 2013 – fears he has missed his chance to lead the level since 1988-89, when it was 50.25 per cent. Close ties revealed ALP. In the past two weeks, Albanese has publicly Under the Coalition, the top marginal tax rate Chinese-Australian political donor Helen Liu had criticised the ‘Australian First’ ad, about employing will be 46.5 per cent from July 1, The Age. close business ties with a senior Chinese military Australians first, as a ‘shocker’, and offered an Former ALP leader slams tax intelligence operative at the same time as she was alternative budget reply speech in which he said Former NSW Labor premier Nathan Rees is cultivating relationships with Australian Labor Labor should have claimed victory following preparing to face-off with another former politicians. Fairfax Media can reveal one of Helen the ‘ideological surrender’ of the Turnbull gov- Labor premier, Anna Bligh, in his new role Liu’s Australian companies sent $250,025 to a Hong ernment in its 2017 budget, The Age. on the executive of the Finance Sector Kong company that American authorities believe ‘Uneasy’ Howard breaks ranks Union. Mr Rees this week replaced National was a front for Chinese espionage, The Age. John Howard has broken ranks with Secretary of the FSU Geoff Derrick. Coalition compromising on the Turnbull government to express concern Senate loosens medicinal cannabis university controversy over changes to the superannuation and Terminally ill patients will get faster access to The Turnbull government is prepared to signifi- taxation system designed to improve housing medical marijuana after the Greens teamed up cantly water down its plan to increase university affordability, the third key budget measure the with Labor and One Nation to deliver a shock fees and slash the HECS repayment threshold in former prime minister has failed to fully endorse. senate vote to kill off access and importation a bid to pass higher education savings through In an exclusive interview with The Weekend restrictions. But a furious Health Minister Greg Parliament. After the successful passage of the Australian, Mr Howard reiterated his ‘unease’ Hunt called the move ‘reckless and irresponsible’, Gonski 2.0 school funding changes – with major with the government’s $6.2 billion levy on saying it would put lives at risk and potentially concessions to the Senate crossbench – Education banks and reserved judgement on the $18.6bn make it easier for criminals to get drugs. Greens Minister will shift his focus school reforms because of claims it could strip leader Richard Di Natale spear-headed the to higher education. Senator Birmingham said almost 200 Catholic schools of future funding. motion, writes Adam Gartrell in The Age. the government would be ‘pragmatic’ in Utopia I its efforts to legislate its higher education Joyce wants country relocation Senators Bob Day and Rod Culleton are to repay policies, which have drawn fierce criticism Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce dismissed their taxpayer-funded salaries and allowances. The from across the university sector, The Age. a report from the Productivity Commission Department of Finance has send the pair letters that found forcing public servants to move Greens are murky telling them they are required to pay back the sala- from cities to country Australia was no miracle The civil war inside the Greens is set to escalate ries, expenses and staff costs they accrued during cure for regional economic woes. Retired with leaked internal emails raising questions the time they sat in the upper house invalidly. Both columnist Gerald Tan, whose wife works for about the power of ‘faceless’ party officials men are on the hook for hundreds of thousands the Department of Social Services, one of the to dictate how MPs vote in Parliament. The of dollars, despite being officially declared branches of government that could be split up Sunday Age revealed that all nine of NSW Greens bankrupt. ‘I think it is a bit ridiculous really’ says and moves, said government needed to take Senator Lee Rhiannon’s federal colleagues had Senator Xenophon. ‘Whatever you thought of into account the economic and social cost of signed a letter of complain about her behaviour Bob Day and Rod Culleton the fact is that they uprooting families. ‘The Nats (Nationals) want during the Gonski 2.0 funding negotiations. Emails were declared elected. There was a process where to do this purely for political purposes, there’s from the NSW Greens federal parliamentary they were found not to be duly elected but they no economic rational to do it’, The Age. liaison committee – a six-person group set turned up for work, they did so in good faith and it up to ‘enhance communication’ between the would set a very dangerous precedent’, The Age. Relationships state party and federal MPs – highlight the Stephen Conroy has just one option: he must Abbott’s five points to election win party’s opaque decision making process. immediately stand down from the Australian has laid out a five point plan for the Labor Party national executive. The former In the leaked emails, committee members agree Coalition to have a chance at the ‘winnable’ net senator, who is also an influential lobbyist for to bind Senator Rhiannon to block the govern- election, including cutting immigration and scrap- the gambling industry as executive director ment’s bill even though the group’s own terms ping the Human Rights Commission at the launch of Responsible Wagering Australia simply of reference explicitly state they do not have the of a new book, Making Australia Right, The Age. cannot wear both hats, Herald Sun. power to do so. The committee’s terms of reference Turnbull defends ‘pragmatic’ tax rises say advice to MPs is ‘not binding’. If a Greens MP Back to the polls? In a major speech to the Committee for the is likely to vote against federal colleagues, the Prime Minister Turnbull may be forced to call an Economic Development of Australia ‘CEDA’, Mr matter should be referred to the State Delegates election after just two years after the Coalition’s Turnbull will argue that while Labor floats Council for consideration. Rhiannon told The current three-year term, political hard-heads

5 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

Sunday Age: ‘The way our state party handled leaked audio revealed former prime minister Tony the Turnbull government’s Gonski 2.0 school fund- the recent school funding bill was a case for Abbott’s latest attack on the Liberal Party’s ing package even as leader Richard Di Natale was celebration not condemnation. I don’t think all leadership. Fairfax Media obtained recordings trying to negotiate a deal to get it passed, The Age. wisdom lies with MPs and I value my engagement of Mr Abbott’s speech to a Liberal branch Labor repudiates threats with Greens members’, 2/07/17, Sunday Age. meeting alongside Assistant Treasurer Michael Bill Shorten and his Labor colleagues have been Sukkar in which he bashed the May budget Hanson autism remarks forced to distance themselves from a CFMEU boss and called on disgruntled members to rise up Senator certainly put the cat who threatened to reveal the home addresses against the party’s current direction, The Age. among the experts and the holier than thou of construction industry inspectors, as the brigade with her statement suggesting that Government was warned government flagged it would refer the unionist children with autism should be removed from The federal government was warned more to police. A former government inspector who mainstream classrooms so other students are than three years ago of security deficiencies investigated the building industry says threats not held back. Sure, Senator Hanson’s comments around personal Medicare data, with the made by CFMEU union leader John Setka to hunt constituted a catch-all statement that missed the Department of Human Services told it was down inspectors are real, suggesting they have mark by failing to acknowledge integration and not fully complying with spy agency rules. a ‘better intelligence unit’ than police. Alan, who inclusion can work. But – and it is a significant Questioning the departments ability to keep the wanted to remain anonymous, investigated but – she was entirely wide of the mark in her data safe from ‘security threats from external strike action and breaches of the Fair Work Act implication that non-mainstream education and internal sources’, the government auditor for the Australian Building and Construction is best for some children with special needs? made a series of recommendations in April 2014, Commission. He said workers often cornered Writes Max Jackson, 2/07/17, Sunday Age. but it is unclear if they were implemented. inspectors at construction sites, abusing them before spitting on them, The Age. Payne sinks Abbott The Australian National Audit Office concerns A fresh round of Coalition infighting has broken emerged as the Greens announced they would Senator has a whale of a time out, with Defence Minister sharply push for a Senate inquiry into revelations Taxpayers have forked out almost $4000 for rebuking Tony Abbott for suggesting Australia that Medicare numbers are available for Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and her should consider buying nuclear powered sale on the ‘dark net’. It remains unclear daughter to go whale watching in the Great submarines. The Turnbull government announced how the numbers are being accessed. Australian Bight. The South Australian senator, in April 2016 it would acquire 12 conventionally who wants a ban on oil and gas exploration in Depressed powered submarines at a cost of $50 billion from the Bight, took the overnight trip last September John Brogden has resigned as chief executive of French company DCNS. The boats are based on a at a cost to taxpayers of $3874.24, The Age. the Australian Institute of Company Directors after French nuclear submarine but will be redesigned being hospitalised with depression. Wife Lucy PM trashes Libs, Pyne smiles to allow for diesel electric propulsion, and are not Brogden told a lunch for the suicide counselling Christopher Pyne has let slip what seems Malcolm expected to enter service until the 2030s, The Age. service LifeLine, of which Brogden has been chair- Turnbull’s final explosive plan for the Liberal Party Disunited they stand man for five years, that he ‘has been struggling with he’s turned into Labor-lite. The Defence Industry Turnbull’s response to the Liberal part discord has depression on and off over the past five months’ Minister tipped the Turnbull Government would been underwhelming. Voters do not see this as a and was in hospital. Brogden, a former NSW Liberal deliver same-sex marriage, and grinned: ‘It might media beat-up, even with the media feeding frenzy. leader who tried to commit suicide in 2005, had even be sooner than everyone thinks’, Herald Sun. They see a deep-seated, structural weakness in been due to speak at the lunch, The Australian. What future? the disunity of the Liberal Party, compounded Dear Reader. Write him a letter. A good man. Politics A future we can bank on? Forget it. Australia is by its Coalition partners that have also been free can be tough particularly for good an and women. now led by bank robbers – politicians who steal to run amok. Voters want to see Turnbull lead on from banks to finance their wild spending, This this issue as well. Impose direction and discipline, Pyne eats his words is mad. Which foreign investors would trust their and demonstrate that you can indeed govern Government minister Christopher Pyne has money with us? Writes Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun. yourselves, writes John Hewson in The Age. apologised for his ‘unhelpful and damaging’ same-sex marriage speech that ignited a factional Libs marriage plot Morwell MP takes break firestorm, as Prime Minister Turnbull called on his Two Liberal MPs have been secretly working Russell North, the member for Morwell in MPs to stop focussing on internal party divisions on a plan to legalise same-sex marriage in the Latrobe Valley, stood down yesterday writes Adam Gartrell and Fergus Hunter in The Age. Australia as soon as August, with a draft copy for an unspecified period on doctor’s orders Note: the one third of a page article did not make clear to of the laws well advanced and consultation to recuperate. He stood down from shadow the editor exactly what the defence of his viewpoint was. with advocates under way, The Age. Cabinet late last year. Hundreds of workers in his seat lost their jobs following March’s closure Rhiannon’s future fleeting? London no longer calling for Brandis of Hazelwood power station, Herald Sun. Greens senator Lee Rhiannon’s future has been After being plagued for nearly a year by rumours hanging in the balance as the party room’s he would be made Australia’s next high commis- Abbott on warpath disciplinary meeting has occurred after she sioner to London, Senator Brandis has confirmed A fresh battle has erupted over the Turnbull gov- angered her party by campaigning against the extension of the term of the present high ernment’s direction and its second budget after commissioner, Alexander Downer, The Age. MP has a case to answer The ALP has launched the challenge against Assistant Health Minister David Gillespie’s right to stay in Parliament, asking the court to decide whether he has an indirect financial interest in the Commonwealth – grounds for disqualification from office under section 44(v) of the constitution. If he was removed it could topple the Turnbull government, which holds a majority of just one seat in the lower house. A by election in the NSW seat of Lyne would likely – but not certainly – return another Coalition MP. Dr Gillespie owns a small suburban shopping complex in Port Macquarie and one of the shops is an outlet of Australia Post – a gov- ernment-owned corporation. Professor Anne Twomey, from the University of Sydney,

6 19 June to 25 July 2017

said Mr Gillespie’s arrangements seemed to leaving the profession. Equally disturbing is that be ‘reasonably remote’, but ‘you never can the Turnbull government, much like the ALP Rudd/ tell what the High Court will do’, The Age. Gillard governments, is adopting a command and control approach to education where all roads National crosses floor lead to Canberra. Canberra. Built where it is, out Queensland Liberal National MP George of range of French or Russian battleship guns. Christensen crossed the floor and voted with Labor for the first time in government in a Ignored is the cutting edge of education reform failed bid to protect weekend penalty rates overseas and the reason why Catholic and following the industrial umpire’s decision to independent schools outperform the majority reduce pay-packets. Christensen said the Labor of government schools: autonomy, diversity and amendment he voted for would have overturned choice are preferable to centralised, bureaucratic the Fair Work Commission’s February decision control, writes Kevin Donnelly in Herald Sun. INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND to slash Sunday pay for retail and hospitality EMPLOYMENT School funding workers – a decision accepted and defended by the Funding increases for needy schools would be CFMFU fined rest of his Coalition colleagues, The Australian. fast-tracked and tightwad state governments Australia’s largest building union and several PM in fight for right penalised under a plan offering a potential high-ranking officials have been collectively Yes, this is a war between two men who hate circuit-breaker for the Turnbull government’s bid fined more than $270,000 for illegally blockading each other’s guts. But it’s much more than that, to create a new school funding model. The plan a children’s hospital construction project in which explains why the Prime Minister looks gone by the respected Grattan Institute think thank Perth. The union leaders found to have breached yet Abbott is still miles from replacing him. It’s a would allow the government to remain within industrial laws include Construction, Forestry, battle between rival ideas of politics. Turnbull reck- its funding envelope while addressing many of Mining and Energy Union national secretary Dave ons a government should do what’s possible the concerns the Greens have expressed about Noonan. The federal government seized on the – which for him means getting things through a its legislation. The Greens originally indicated ruling, saying the construction union’s most Left-leaning Senate. That’s why he’s gone Labor- a willingness to work with the government senior official had joined ‘a very large barrel of lite – big spending and big taxing. Big on global on its changes but the party has toughened bad apples – CFMEU members who think they can warming. But Abbott reckons a government should its stance in recent days following a backlash break Australian workplace laws with impunity’. fight to do what’s right – which for him means from public sector teacher unions and internal Employment Minister said the Liberal things, writes Andrew Bolt in Herald Sun. disagreement about how to proceed. union’s decision to target a children’s hospital demonstrated that ‘no construction project is Joyce warns Abbott The government’s plan treats the states and differ- immune from the CFMEU’s illegal activity’. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has ent school sectors more fairly and comes closer to warned Tony Abbott’s campaign over the Gonski review’s vision of a needs-based system, Noonan claimed the protests had been climate change policy has the ‘potential’ to he will argue. Firstly, by moving more quickly ‘peaceful’ and the fines should be a ‘concern to damage the Turnbull governments election to a ‘floating’ indexation rate the government every Australian worker’. ‘This may be the law’, chances, as the former prime minister leads could reach its school funding targets within six said Noonan, ‘but the law is unjust’. The legal a backbench charge against the Finkel years rather a decade. Secondly, there should be action, launched by the Australian Building and energy recommendations, The Age. tougher requirements on state governments to Construction Commission, alleged the officials had fund their schools to their appropriate Schooling ‘organised, incited and controlled’ the blockades Schools review basic truth Resource Standard ‘SRS’. Thirdly, the creation of an because John Holland would not cede demands for Its understandable why the debate surrounding independent National Schools Resourcing Body a ‘whole-of-site’ agreement that paid subcon- the Turnbull government’s Gonski 2.0 funding as recommended by the Gonski review, The Age. tractors the same rates as employees, The Age. model centres on money. Equally as important is that when Gonski 2.0 was launched, the Prime Libs lazy and self-indulgent Unions fire last salvo for Sunday rates Minister also announced a review to identify the The ‘lazy’ and ‘self-indulgent’ Liberal Party is Controversial cuts to Sunday penalty rates most effective way ‘to raise the performance facing an existential crisis after a horror week for hundreds of thousands of workers are of schools and students’ and to identify what that exposed deep wounds from which it facing a last-minute legal challenge, with unions constitutes ‘effective teaching and learning may never recover, the head of the influential seeking urgent hearings to stop them taking strategies’. The good news is that, after years Institute of Public Affairs think tank has effect next weekend. United Voice union national of investing billions in education with results warned. John Roskam, who recently hosted Tony secretary Jo-Anne Schofield said the union was in maths, science and literacy tests either flat Abbott for a speech in which he directly ‘compelled to take this legal step. The Fair Work lining or going backwards, the government finally challenged Turnbull’s policy agenda blasted Commission’s decision to cut pay is significant. realises that how the money is spent is equally, if both men for failing to deliver philosophical It symbolises a turning away from a long-held not more, important than the amount invested. direction to the party, and took aim at ‘so-called principle that has guided industrial law in this conservatives’ Peter Dutton and Mathias Cormann. country for over a century, that the needs of The bad news, after the 2014 review of the workers should be placed on an equal footing with national curriculum and the 2014 inquiry into He said the significance of front- business and economic interests’, 24/06/17, The teacher education by a ministerial advisory bencher Christopher Pyne’s leaked comments Age. Where should be the bounds to union demands? group, is that another review is a waste of time was seismic because they addressed ‘the and resources. The OECD’s director of educa- elephant in the room’ of factional warfare Carers jobs one of fastest growing tion, Andreas Schleicher, has concluded that and ‘let loose’ the boiling tensions between Australia is shedding jobs for retailers and instead of technology, the initial focus should moderates and conservatives, Sunday Age. farmers by the tens of thousands as we be on ensuring all students achieve a baseline become a country of carers and builders. That’s level of proficiency in reading and mathematics. the verdict from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which released its detailed labour Stronger performing education systems also set force data on Thursday, 23/06/17, The Age. high expectations and have disciplined classrooms where there is a positive and constructive Blowing the whistle set to become safer attitude to learning. That is unlike Australian The Turnbull government is considering classrooms which have one of the highest rates a bounty-style reward worth millions of of disruption and badly behaved students. dollars for those who blow the whistle on corruption or unethical behaviour at the hands Having committed teachers who are experts in of multibillion-dollar corporations, The Age. what they teach is also associates with successful education systems. Unfortunately, that is not the Boring Bureaucracy case in Australia where teachers are overwhelmed All Australian company directors would be by red-tape and a time-consuming and inflexible assigned special ID numbers under a new Labor accountability system, leading to too many policy designed to prevent them deliberately

7 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

tanking their companies to avoid paying workers, to be released are expected to show. As internships. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and creditors and the Tax Office. Also the scourge of workers receive pay rises that have failed to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash will today corporate Australia, phoenix activity costs the keep up with the cost of living, The Age. announce the Australian Retailers Associate has economy billions of dollars a year, but little has agreed to help get jobs for up to 10,000 people Coles underpaying been done to stamp it out. It occurs when a com- aged 15 to 24 who have been on welfare payments Supermarket giant Coles has admitted pany collapses with a mountain of debts and then for six months or more. They will be trained under underpaying much of its workforce in cosy rises from the ashes – like the mythical bird – with the federal governments PaTH program. After deals it struck with the conservative shop the same assets and customers to avoid paying bills. initial training they will enter a 12-week intern- assistants union. In the Fair Work Commission, ship, with the goal of getting a permanent job. Under current rules, it is easier to become a its lawyer Stuart Wood, QC, indicated that Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the best company director than it is to open a bank account. much of the Coles workforce – up to 60 per cent form of welfare was a job, 3/07/2017, Herald Sun. Under the Labor plan, existing and prospective would be better off if they were paid minimum directors – about 2.5 million of them – would award rates rather than what they are paid Big win for casuals be assigned a director identification number from deals struck with the Shop, Distributive Casual workers have won the right to demand via the Australian Securities and Investment & Allied Employees Associate ‘SDA’, The Age. a permanent full-time or part-time job after 12 Commission for a $50 fee. The unique ID number months under a new Fair Work Commission ruling. Public whistleblowers would allow tracking of directors that have been But employers will still have the right to refuse Company directors and corporate lawyers have involved in multiple failed companies and expose the request if the change would substantially pushed back against moves to protect whistleblow- fictitious directors, considered the bane of credit alter the worker’s hours to accommodate them ers who take their complaints public, saying claims rating agencies and the Tax Office, The Age. as a permanent staff member. Unions had of misconduct should be reported internally or to called for the right to be available after just six Pay fight: workers’ losses put at $184m a government regulator. The Australian institute months and for the minimum number of daily The Turnbull government has accused the public of Company Directors, which represents 39,000 hours worked to increase to four, but these were sector union of depriving 70,000 workers of pay company directors and senior business leaders, rejected. In its decision, the Fair Work Commission rises totalling $184 million, blaming the union for says new whistleblower protections currently being said it was necessary for modern awards to the failure to resolve their three-year pay battle. considered by the government should not extend contain a provision allowing casual employees Employment Minister Michael Cash instructed to disclosures made to ‘third parties’, including to ask for conversion to permanent full-time her department to analyse pay lost by employees the media, members of parliament and union or part-time work after 12 months, The Age. in the Australian Taxation Office and the Defence, representatives. It comes in the wake of a series and the Human Services departments since of banking and wage fraud scandals exposed Ombudsman to look into Uber they voted down government wage offers. The by the media that have rocked the corporate A Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating losses are calculated from when Defence and sector and led to a number of government whether Uber’s contracts with tens of DHS staff voted down the government’s pay inquiries, including ones examining the failure thousands of Australian drivers are in breach offer in February last year and ATO employees of the regulator to investigate claims, The Age. of federal workplace laws, The Age. in December 2015. The votes were conducted Next? GetUp! GetUP GetUP GetUp GetUP after the government increased its three-year Companies have been urged to consult with Australian Press Council chairman David offer to an average 2 per cent annually. staff before attempting market strategies such Weisbrot has bowed to pressure and resigned Senator Cash said the union had been more as the ill-fated Coles ‘I’m Free’ campaign to from the media watchdog in the wake of the focussed with organising industrial action and avoid further risks of sexual harassment. The appointment of a GetUp! activist to the indepen- inconveniencing the public than securing pay Shop Distributors’ Association said companies dent council. In his resignation letter, part of which rises for members. ‘Does she really want to argue needed to be more vigilant in their approach to was released in the APC statement, Professor that the people who support our armed forces or protecting staff when using them in marketing Weisbrot said his heart was ‘simply no longer administer our tax system are too stupid to work campaigns. Coles was forced to ditch its Easter in the job’ after weeks of sustained attack this out for themselves and have voted no because advertising campaign after some employees blaming a campaign of ‘misinformation’ over Carla some union official told them to?’ Ms Flood said waving an ‘I’m Free’ paddle were sexually harassed McGrath’s appointment and ‘persistent personal the union, agencies and workers were battling by customers. The campaign was designed to attacks’ for his decision. ‘For the record, the basis ‘ridiculous’ rules that dictated workers must ‘lose help customers move through checkouts faster. of these attacks is thoroughly misconceived. existing provisions from agreements, nothing can The promotional video shows a female Coles In fact, the whole appointment process was carried be improved or enhanced, and there’s not a dollar employee fanning herself with the ‘I’m Free’ sign out with careful attention to good process and the for the last 3.5 years’, Weekend Australian. behind a muscly man in a singlet top, The Age. requirements set down by the council’s constitu- Wage at all time low Shopping for career tion’. Fairfax Media, owner of The Sydney Morning Real wage growth has fallen into negative Struggling young job-seekers have won a helping Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial territory and stalled at an all time low, figures hand from retailers who are offering up to 10,000

8 19 June to 25 July 2017

Review had voted to include Ms McGrath on the cheques has dropped by 56 per cent. Meanwhile, and a string of budget surpluses before 2008, is council, in a vote that was won 14 to one, The Age. Australians made 7.4 billion card transactions dissipating, writes Adam Creighton in Inquirer. last year, up 12.3 per cent year-on-year. Card Shoppies union faces controversy Elite schools in line for cut transactions are up a staggering 72 per cent in One of Labor’s biggest backers, the giant shop get more if bill fails just five short years, Weekend Australian. assistants union, will be subject to a parliamentary The nation’s 24 most overfunded elite private inquiry over wage deals that have cost workers MFS executives owe $620m to investors schools, which lose money under the Turnbull gov- hundred of millions of dollars, The new Senate Four executives of the Gold Coast’s failed ernment’s education reforms, stand to reap an probe is a response to the wages scandal revealed $2.5 billion MFS investment empire have extra $322 million if the overhaul fails in the Senate. by Fairfax Media involving deals between some of been found to personally owe $620 million A parliamentary defeat of the Coalition’s $18.6 Australia’s largest employers, including McDonald’s, to investors after they acted dishonestly, billion changes would mean the Labor legislation Coles and Woolworths and the Shop, Distributive ‘flagrantly ignored’ laws and forged company stands, and federal funding for those prestigious & Allied Employees Association(SDA), The Age. documents, Weekend Australian. schools – which include Sydney’s St Aloysius’ College and Waverly College, and Hillbrook Domino’s probes deepen Tradition on line in digital market Anglican School in Brisbane – would continue The Fair Work Ombudsman has expanded its The century-old wool selling system is set to be dig- to grow at 3 per cent a year, The Australian. investigation into fast-food giant Domino’s itally disrupted with Australian Wool Innovation Pizza, revealing an extra 10 new investiga- splashing $3.6 million to build and launch an Jobless rate not a true tions are now afoot into under-payment online wool exchange program. On the back of the indicator of labour pains across the store network, The Age. industry’s Wool Exchange Portal working group The Reserve Bank is puzzled why wages are grow- advice, an online portal for wool will be built within ing at only 2 per cent, given unemployment is under Myrtleford mill workers two years, with hopes it will be cheaper and more 6 per cent. You should ignore the unemployment Hundreds of families in Myrtleford have been transparent than the open cry auction, The Land. rate. It counts everyone working one hour or more without pay for almost 10 weeks, after the area’s per week as in work. Look at total hours worked. biggest employer lock out its workforce. On April Housing ‘biggest threat’ to economy The market sector is 75 per cent of the labour force 19, union members at Myrtleford’s Carter Holt The OECD has said house prices are the biggest and growth in hours worked in the marked sector Harvey timber mill walked off work for four hours, domestic threat to economic growth, as new has stalled. There is no reason to expect a pick after industrial talks stalled. In response, the figures push annual growth to its lowest point up any time soon. What growth there is in the company lock out its workforce of 207, The Age. since the global financial crisis. The Australian hours worker is in the public sector. In the private economy grew just 1.7 per cent in the 12 months Cheats and Liars together sector, I suspect the gig economy creates part-time to March, down from 3 per cent three years Federal Employment Minister Michaelia employment that undermines the competitiveness earlier. The result is the worst since the 1.2 Cash has blasted the Transport Workers Union of companies providing full-time jobs. Just think per cent recorded during the depths of the for attempting to ‘smear’ the reputation of of Uber, Airbnb and internet shopping. Emails economic crisis in September 2009, The Age. the nation’s largest aviation services company, have replaced letters and bank branched are Aerocare. The criticism comes after the ABC China could send Aussie to US50c being replaced by ATM and card payments. The admitted an internal investigation found it had The Australian dollar could slump to US50c labour market is weak despite a stable unem- altered documents and twice breached its editorial within three years should China ramp up efforts ployment rate, writes Ed Shann, Herald Sun. standards in a report on its flagship current affairs to devalue its currency and curb demand for our Corporatised sector hands program 7.30 into Aerocare’s workplace and safety commodities, fresh analysis suggests, Herald Sun. students a raw deal practices on March 20. Among the findings was A surplus of neat tricks Cutting federal funding will spur universities to that the broadcaster showed workers sleeping Budget projections for a year not too far away even greater economies of scale, further diluting in a luggage loading contained at Sydney airport, look curiouser and curiouser, writes Peter the education undergraduates receive, writes wrongly implying one was an Aerocare worker. Martin, an Age economics editor, The Age. lecturer in English at Western Sydney University Following multiple complaints about the and member of the National alliance for Public Accounting tweaks dressed up as reform report, the ABC’s audience and consumer affairs Universities, Ben Etherington, The Australian Higher debt and zero surplus is a worrying investigations manager, Denise Musto, sent a letter trend. Australia’s fiscal exceptionalism is fading Uber going under – a leading to Aerocare’s lawyers on April 21 admitting the pro- fast. The broadly bipartisan support for low investor’s bold prediction gram wrongly implied the image was an Aerocare levels of public debt and a cautious approach to One of Australia’s wealthiest and most high worker. The TWU had approached the ABC to do spending, which culminated in zero public debt profile investors, Hamish Douglass, appears to the story on Aerocare and provided it with material have engaged in ‘new economy heresy’ – calling ahead of an industrial campaign it had been waging against the Brisbane-based company, The Weekend Australian. Where is the Jail door?

BUSINESS, ECONOMY, MANUFACTURING AND FINANCE Your cheque’s not in the mail Figures released yesterday by the Australian Payment Network shows the use of cheques in Australia plunged 20 per cent to 111.6 million transactions last year – the largest drop ever recorded. The value of cheques dropped by 6 per cent over the same period, after remaining flat in 2015. Over the last five years, the use of

9 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

out the ride sharing company Uber as being a with the challenges of managing wealth and east, electricity wholesale prices have trebled Ponzi scheme and one that will be broke in 10 their financial affairs across generations. As boosting customers’ costs by $14 billion a year years, writes Elizabeth Knight in The Age a combined entity, client experience will be since 2015 writes Alan Moran in Herald Sun. enhanced and the financial strength of the Ride share leader runs ‘stupid’ model Unrealistic pricing combined business will benefit all stakeholders’ Mr Uber’s practice of persistently raising capital Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton says Dickinson said, The Weekend Australian. from private investors is akin to a Ponzi scheme, the company will remain disciplined in bidding according to veteran investor and Magellan Catholic funds for new toll roads, and has warned of the Financial Group chief executive Hamish Increased funding for Catholic schools will danger of excessive debt levels and unrealistic Douglass. In an interview at the Stockbrokers be locked in over a decade as the federal traffic forecasts creeping back into the sector as and Financial Advisors Conference in Sydney government bids to head off a ‘scare campaign’ financial buyers pay high prices for infrastructure on Wednesday, Mr Douglass lamented the from the sector. Education Minister Simon assets. The company would be prepared to dramatic losses awaiting Uber investors as Birmingham said it was time for the Catholic take minority equity positions in toll roads to automated driving technology permeated sector to end its ‘scare tactics’ and ‘campaigns build its network, which already included the the market writes Jessica Sier in The Age. for special treatment’. New modelling released majority of major privately owned roads in today shows Catholic primary schools in Victoria Australia. ‘It doesn’t have to be that we go in and Poor schools – across all demographics – will gain increased buy and develop 100 per cent’, The Australian. Catholic education authorities are shortcoming funding over the next decade, Herald Sun. needy schools by up to $1.5 million a year to Veteran funding help keep fees low at schools in wealthy areas Effective planning is the key Advocates for veterans have welcomed news in Melbourne and Sydney, government data to a circular economy of a $350 million support package for former reveals. The release of the previously secret Only through effective planning can policymakers soldiers and their families in the Budget, but Department of Education data comes as the unlock the power of the circular economy, say more needs to be done. The package is set peak body representing independent Christian writes Alex Serpo. To create a national resource to include more than $220 million in spending schools called on the Catholic sector to stop recovery rate of 75% by 2040, we need to add a on mental health, suicide prevention and campaigning against the government and new recycling capacity capable of processing an programs to help personnel make the transition support its school funding ‘breakthrough’. additional 35 million tonnes per year – in 23 years. to civilian life, according to News Corp. That will The circular economy model has been adopted include more than $30 million for non-liability The most socially disadvantaged Catholic school by leading international organisations such as mental health services to ex-servicemen and in Victoria, St Thomas Aquinas in Norlane, at the the European Commission and the International women, who will no longer have to prove end of May, received 15 per cent less than its federal Solid Waste Association. To underpin sustainable their mental health condition is linked to their government funding allocation in 2015. Meanwhile development, the circular economy is increasingly service before receiving treatment, The Age. St Columba’s school in the affluent suburb of gaining traction with Australian leaders in both Elwood received 15 per cent more funding than Housing affordability business and government. The 56 page June/July edi- its federal government allocation, The Age. ANU Associate Professor Ben Phillips said the find- tion of Sustainability Matters features also the History of ings suggest Australians are willing to support gov- $300m red tape removal wastewater treatment in Sydney, Sustainability Matters. ernment measures that would allow more homes The small business budget sweetener of a Banks may absorb tax to be built, as well as scrapping incentives such as $300 million fund to reward state and territory Bank customers may yet be spared the full brunt negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions. governments that remove unnecessary of the $6.2 billion levy imposed on Australia’s ‘This may suggest that the issue of housing regulation has come unstuck with key states biggest lenders in the federal Budget, according affordability is acute enough that Australians may refusing to participate. Small Business to a top ratings agency. Moody’s Investors accept policy change that could reduce process or Minister Michael McCormack says the cash will Service says a beefed up competition watchdog the rate of price growth to allow more equitable go to state and territory governments who ‘sign is emerging as a key hurdle for banks seeking access to the housing market’, he said, The Age. up’ to the scheme and have their plans for red to pass on the impact. Chiefs at the big four tape reduction approved by Treasurer Scott Money matters banks have attacked the slug, labelling it Morrison. But key state governments are Senior Australian researcher Phil Ruthven exam- a ‘stealth tax’ that would have to be borne by baulking at conditions they say are tied to the ines current and former household spending customers, shareholders or both, Herald Sun. $300 million red tape reduction scheme, The Age. and considers the implications this will have ‘Labor-lite budget undermining for business. Household income is a huge Banks should get out of wealth a nation’s wealth component of our economy, accounting for The banks have been internally investigating their In the federal Budget, the Coalition implemented 88 per cent of our gross domestic product wealth management businesses lately, inspecting policies established in the Rudd/Gillard years. writes Ruthven in The Futurist. individual advice files and trying to head off more The expansions in health, education and welfare PR problems. The whisper is that, on average, Qantas tries to drive out Virgin budgets – now comprising two thirds of spending eight out of 10 files are ‘disastrous’ – the advice Virgin Group boss Richard Branson says – were confirmed. Over the next four years, annual appropriate, writes Alan Kohler in The Age. Qantas sought financial help from the federal spending will increase by $50 billion to $340 government so it could flood the market Future Fund billion – a levy on the average non-government with flights and drive Virgin Australia out of The Future Fund will more than double in value to worker of more than $30,000 a year. Similarly there business. The British billionaire said Qantas only an expected $300 billion by 2027-28, enabling it to is an acquiescence of the cost impositions from needed help when it went ‘cap in hand’ to the cover all future public servant superannuation pay- renewable energy policy, including attempts to government in early 2014 so it could continue outs, chairman Peter Costello says. The former fed- lighten up these with subsidies to the ‘needy’ and to fund a capacity war with Virgin, The Age. eral Liberal treasurer adds that the fund will also gas purchases to prevent the collapse of South deliver more than half the Turnbull government’s Australia’s renewable energy reliant economy. Two Vegemite is back projected budget surpluses. He says that without major expenditure initiatives: Gonski education Vegemite was set to return to Australian ownership the government’s budget decision to suspend any funding and the National Disability Scheme are when Bega was due to finalise is $460 million deal drawings on the fund until at least 2027-28, it would now to be financed with tax hikes. The Coalition to buy the spread from US food giant Mondelez. have been drained entirely within 30 years, leaving is also setting its own wasteful expenditures. Two The Vegemite deal also hands Bega other brands, the government with a $20 billion annual bill for white elephants in the Budget are an $8.4 billion including ZoOsh and Bonox, and a manufacturing public service superannuation, The Australian. Melbourne-Brisbane rail link and the $2 billion plus plant in Port Melbourne, Herald Sun. Snowy hydro storage scheme. Hopefully these will Wealth merger States face pressure prove to be cosmetic announcements that disap- Two of the nation’s richest families, Many Catholic and private schools will be pear in the next wash. Inherited from the Rudd/ the Myers and Baillieus, are proposing to merge over-funded in coming years unless state Gillard years are energy regulations, dominated their family office operations to create a $3 billion governments overhaul the way they fund schools, by measures to replace low-cost coal-generated wealth management and intergenerational including by slashing funding to some of Sydney electricity with subsidised renewables. With advisory powerhouse. ‘Mutual Trust and and Melbourne’s wealthiest private schools. decent closures including Hazelwood in Victoria’s MFCo both have focused on helping families After the passage of the Turnbull government’s

10 19 June to 25 July 2017

‘Gonski 2.0’ funding changes, the focus of the Businesses slam 457 Global trader Noble Group is school funding debate is set to shift the state and Business leaders and one of the world’s top fighting for its life, warns S&P territory governments and how they respond economic experts have savaged the federal Noble Group Ltd’s crisis deepened after S&P to the new model. State governments will have government’s visa changes, accusing them Global Ratings flagged a risk of default for the to show ‘courage’ by cutting funding to some of threatening the economy and labelling commodity trader within a year, triggering a schools and redistributing the money to schools foreigners as barbarians. Coca-Cola Amatil rout in the company’s shares before they were in greater need, the Grattan Institute’s school managing director Alison Watkins, Woodside chief suspended in Singapore ahead of the company program director Peter Goss said, The Age. executive Peter Coleman and GE president Geoff statement. The 2020 bonds fell to a record low. Culbert described changes that will further Noble Group, which holds stakes in several locally Anchorage seizes Slater and Gordon restrict access to Australia’s visa system as listed miners, including Yancoal and Xandu Mining, Hedge fund giant Anchorage Capital Group is to hypocritical and retro-grade. A survey of more declined to comment on S&P’s assessment. The gain control of debt-stricken listed law firm Slater & than 800 NSW businesses in May by the Business Hong-Kong based trader’s troubles are deepening Gordon in a deal that sees chief executive Andrew Chamber has predicted a skill shortage of more after two turbulent years that have been marked Grech step down, a clean-out of the board and than 54,000 jobs statewide next year, partly by losses, asset sales and accusations of improper existing shareholdings smashed, The Australian. as a result of the new conditions, The Age. accounting that it has denied, The Age. Insurers clash on policy BHP new chair taking on shale Latin-American free trade pitch The life insurance industry has attempted to shore Incoming BHP Billiton chairman Ken Business and agriculture groups have welcomed up its code of practice just days before it comes into MacKenzie will confront growing shareholder Australia’s pioneering pitch for a free trade force, with the $44 billion sector agreeing for the pressure to boost returns and finally deal with the agreement with four major Latin American first time to implement minimum standard defi- company’s underperforming US shale assets, amid countries, predicting a major wind-fall for nitions for cancer, heart attacks, and strokes in its questions over what impact his appointment will farmers and exporters. Trade Minister Steven trauma and critical illness policies, The Australian. have on the miner’s relatively new management Ciobo announced the start of trade negotiations Enterprise to help the world team. The former long-serving Amcor boss will with Mexico, Chile, Peru and Colombia, with the Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson says replace Jac Nasser, Weekend Australian. goal of bringing down prohibitively high tariffs free enterprise is still the best way to spread in the Pacific Alliance trading bloc, Sunday Age. What’s missing from the schools debate wealth and improve the world, and is confident The Australian Early Development Census – a gov- Cladding to hit property prices the tide of populist rhetoric pushing back ernment initiative – measure Australian children in The deadly Grenfell Tower fire is expected to against trade and globalisation will soon pass. their first year of school across areas such as emo- finally prompt action on Australian residential Reflecting on his native Britain’s vote to leave the tional maturity, cognitive skills and communication. towers covered in flammable cladding, with European Union and Donald Trump’s election According to the 2015 results, 22 per cent of kids owners liable for multi-million-dollar remediation as US President on an anti-trade platform, Sir are ‘developmentally vulnerable’ on at least one bills and facing a drop in their property values, Richard said rebuilding barriers to the movement measure when they start school. At an individual an expert says. Australian Society of Building of people or goods was ‘madness’. Branson was level, this is potentially devastating. If a five-year Consultants NSW president Chris Dyce said the recently in Melbourne to launch Virgin old starts kindergarten behind, they are more likely ‘nightmare’ scale of the London Inferno had driven Australia’s new service to Hong Kong, The Age. to stay behind for the rest of their school career. home the danger of plastic-based aluminium com- Universities attack cuts posite cladding and it would affect the Australian Victoria University think tank the Mitchell The university sector has attacked the federal property market, The Weekend Australian. Institute notes 28 per cent of Australian kids government for pushing through the biggest start high school without basic literacy and set of school-funding reforms in a generation, numeracy skills. Last year, Dr Stacey Fox, a while slashing funding to tertiary institutions Mitchell Institute policy fellow, co-authored a and hiking student fees. In a move that is set to report arguing for two years of preschool. ‘Early reignite university funding battles, Group of education is at least as important as school’, Fox Eight Universities chairman Peter Hoj blasted says, writes Judith Ireland in The Age the Turnbull government for being ‘myopic’ in cutting money from higher education, The Age. Quotas for equality Australia should consider quotas for women BankSA puts jobs on hold on ASX boards, if the numbers don’t improve, BankSA and the broader Westpac Group have shadow treasurer Chris Bowen says, The Age. put on hold a plan to open a new back-end automated processing centre in Adelaide that would have created 150 jobs, in an angry TAX response to the South Australian government’s Gonski: cement tax rate into law new bank levy to raise $370 million over the next ANZ chairman David Gonski says the rate of four years, The Australian Financial Review. the Turnbull Government’s new bank tax should be set in legislation so future increases would have Principals need lessons in budgeting to pass both houses of parliament. The respected Managing organisations of this size requires business veteran – the last head of the big four serious financial expertise. This is no small task, a banks to comment on the tax announced this primary school of about 350 kids has a budget of month – said yesterday that they industry should well over $3 million. A high school with roughly accept the levy was inevitable, Herald Sun 1000 kids will often have a budget in excess of $11 million. Managing organisations of this size TRADE Bank tax is no ‘free kick’ for regional banks requires serious strategic and financial expertise. The banking tax is a step in the right Delicate dance But principles have been promoted because they direction, but it will not meaningfully level The Deputy Prime Minister went to Europe for were great teachers. They normally have little the playing field between the major banks seven days to help map out Australia’s trade or no financial management experience. While and smaller rivals, says Bank of Queensland future with Britain and the European Union in the this mismatch is clear, school principles must be chief executive Jon Sutton, The Age. wake of Britain’s vote to leave the EU, The Age. experts in pedagogy, teacher development and Global women summit learning. More work is needed connecting key Growth story at risk, says Treasurer The Global Summit of Women event will be held in budget decisions such as teacher training and Scott Morrison conceded risks to the government’s Sydney next year. It is expected to attract more that professional development to improvements ‘growth story’ in a major speech yesterday, just 1000 business and government leaders from 80 in student learning writes Ben Jensen, CEO hours before National Australia Bank chief countries, and inject more than $2 million into the of school education consultancy Learning economist Alan Oster predicted a cocktail of NSW economy. Key business leaders that helped First in Australian Financial Review. sluggish wages and stagnant business investment pitched to win Business Event’s Sydney’s bid to could push Australia into recession within months host the event include former Telstra boss David

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Thodey, non-executive director of AGL energy Proper debate on sugar tax recommends the creation of a new energy security and Westfarmers Diane Smith-Garnder, retiring far from ‘bonkers’ board that would have responsibility for ensuring Sydney Airport boss Kerrie Mather, former director When think tank the Grattan Institute went the reliability of the system, Weekend Australian. of Lend Lease Lynette Mayne and former sexual public with its call for a sugar tax in Australia Finkel recommendations discrimination commission Elizabeth Broderick. last year, Barnaby Joyce called the plan ‘bonkers Prepare for the 2017-18 summer- closer collabora- mad’. High sugar consumption is having a The bid was also backed by political figures tion with Bureau of Meteorology on heatwave fore- social, medical and economic impact, The Age. including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s wife casts and operate system with increased margin and former Committee for Sydney chair- Sting of the century for safety, while ensuring adequate fuel supplies. woman Lucy Turnbull, Liberal National Party An alleged $165 million tax fraud syndicate stretch- Strengthen long-term security- Transmission MP Keith Pill, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and ing from one of the country’s highest tax officials companies required to keep spare capacity that federal Labor MPs Tanya Plibersek and Linda to struggling drug addicts was almost derailed by can be brought online rapidly. A new ‘generator Burney, and NSW MP Pru Goward, The Age. a secret extortion bid. The biggest alleged white reliability obligation’ to guarantee capacity. collar fraud racket in Australian history unravelled Rejects creating a market for new capacity but Keating blasts companies after 300 federal police officers raided 28 calls for study of a ‘strategic reserve’ generating Former Prime Minister Paul Keating has hit out properties and arrested nine people, including the capacity. Emissions reduction- introduce a clean at ‘bludger’ international companies operating son and daughter of an Australian Taxation Office energy target requiring retailers to purchases in Australia but not paying enough tax, The Age. deputy commissioner, Michael Cranston, The Age. clean energy certificates from generators Budget to balance income tax producing emissions below the target level. Australia’s return to budget surplus will be built Government to produce an economy –wide emis- on the back of an enormous 14 per cent increase sions reduction strategy by 2020. Cyber security- in the income tax take. The Parliamentary Annual review of cyber-security in the National Budget Office projection, prepared as part of Electricity Market. Coal-fired power- Makes no its regularly scheduled assessment of the May recommendation on phasing out coal-fired power. budget, is that wage rises and bracket creep push Gas power- Energy Market Operator to have power up the income tax take from 11.1 per cent of gross to force existing gas-fired generators to maintain domestic product to 12.6 per cent over 10 years, a supply in times of gas shortage. Consumers- Better jump of 14.4 per cent. The average personal tax information on electricity prices. Governance- All rate would climb from 22.7 per cent to 25.9 per COAG leaders to agree nationally consistent energy cent. Even then, the office says the budget would policy, consistent with Paris Commitments. barely return to balance, recording a wafer-thin CLIMATE CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT surplus of just 0.3 per cent of GDP, well short of AND ENERGY Climate row puts Turnbull in turmoil the government’s target of 1 per cent, The Age. Bitter divisions within the federal government Finkel sounds alarm on power generation over climate-change have reopened with Prime Politicians war with business Victoria and are at risk of damag- Minister Malcolm Turnbull facing a mini-revolt Politics is becoming less about trying to grow ing blackouts this summer because of the closure over energy policy. PM Turnbull faced a backlash the pie than a mad dash to devour what’s left. of the Hazelwood brown-coal power station. The over the prospect of introducing a Clean Energy Political survival is the driving force. When the Finkel report warns that if power companies do Target – recommended by the scheme – in a battle South Australian government announced that it not respond to high priced by installing fresh which could again become a test of his leadership. too would levy a tax on the big banks, something capacity, the reliability of the network could be About 10 MPs ‘vehemently’ opposed a push away snapped. Business Council of Australia chief compromised over the longer term. The Australian from coal-fired power. Despite the CET having executive Jennifer Westacott summed up the Energy Market Operator is taking steps to shore up the support from senior government figures, it views of her members and peers when she took supplies, banning any scheduled summer mainte- has not been endorsed by the backbench. aim at Canberra, not Adelaide. ‘The Turnbull gov- nance of generators and requiring any ‘mothballed’ ernment must bear responsibility for letting plants to be made available from October. But the It’s understood about 20 MP’s expressed ‘serious the genie out of the bottle’ she fumed. Finkel report says the key problem is the lack of any misgivings’ over some of the recommendations new generating capacity that is capable of being of the review and argued the government should Australia is becoming a laughing stock of global dispatched rapidly, such as gas, hydro or coal. not force coal-fired power stations out of business. investment circles as erratic governments – state, Several MPs also reinforced their opposition territory and federal carelessly undermine and ‘The past few years has seen the retirement of to Australia signing the Paris climate change chop and change the rules of doing business.’ significant coal-fired capacity from the National agreement with a target of reducing emissions She’s right. The federal government effectively Electricity Market while there has been no by 26-28 per cent by 2030. It’s understood many used the unpopularity of the banks to hit them corresponding reinvestment in new dispatchable of the misgivings focussed around household with a tax to help balance the budget. It was no capacity’ it says. The report rejects the approach electricity bills and similar renewable energy more sophisticated than that. Little wonder a taken in Britain and the northeast of the US where targets of state governments of which the federal cash-strapped unpopular state government would the government holds an auction for companies to government has been critical, Herald Sun. do the same, Australian Financial Review. supply new capacity, saying it is too radical a step and should only be considered if there is an ‘irre- Climate forces join up to mount Paris fight solvable failure’ of the existing electricity market Forces on the green-energy side are positioning to encourage new generating capacity. However, it for a renewed climate change debate in coming

12 19 June to 25 July 2017

months, as the Turnbull government struggles China helps fund new to buy and sell from each other. If one manages to to convince international dissenters of the CSIRO climate centre cut emissions easily and no longer need its permits, need for tougher carbon reduction measures. CSIRO’s re-embracing of climate change research it can sell them to another who needs them more, The nation’s preeminent advocate of strong will be stressed on Monday when the national perhaps for a profit. It means the market sets the laws against carbon emissions, the Climate science agency announced a new centre partly price, and the price is no higher than it needs to be. Institute, will close its doors on June 30 after funded by Chinese interests. Based in Hobart, the In his last days in office John Howard promised to a dozen years in operation, and transfer its $20 million centre will examine the role of oceans use tradable permits to cheaply meet Australia’s assets and intellectual property to high profile in future climate change, including their influence carbon emission reduction obligations. Emissions progressive think tank the Australian Institute. on floods and drought. It will be half funded by intensity scheme: Long championed by Turnbull, China’s Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine The financial terms of the arrangement have been independent Nick Xenophon and Greg Hunt as Science and Technology. The Centre for Southern kept confidential. As the recipient body, the eco- environment minister, it would have the Hemisphere Oceans Research will also look at nomically oriented Australia Institute will in turn advantage of raising no money whatsoever, and the capacity of seas to keep absorbing carbon establish a dedicated ‘Climate and Energy Program’ not pushing up prices much. Each industry would dioxide – more than 90 per cent of heat has been with the aim of stepping up the public pressure on be given a ‘baseline’ for its emissions intensity. taken up by oceans in recent decades- and the lawmakers to meet Australia’s obligations under For the electricity industry it would be a certain expected impact of melting Antarctic ice, The Age. the Paris accord. It comes as some opponents of number of tonnes emitted per mega-watt hour renewable energy subsidies have called for the Clean energy sector on way produced. Plants above the baseline would government to directly finance investment in to record growth year have to buy permits from plants below it. coal-fired power writes Mark Kenny of The Age. Australia’s clean energy sector is heading for Low emissions target: Described by the a record year in solar and wind-farm creation, Relief for PM in one direction Climate Change Authority as a second-best generating thousands of jobs in regional areas but not so in another alternative to its preferred option of an and bringing the 2020 Renewable Energy The Finkel clean energy target was cleanly intensity scheme, a low emissions target would Target within range. The Clean Energy Council’s excised from the Chief Scientist’s 50 rec- operate pretty much in the same way as the annual report released on Tuesday shows the ommendations with the other 49 gaining current renewable energy target, The Age. country generated about 17,500 gigawatt-hours of a tick writes Mark Kenny of The Age. renewable energy last year, more than half-way to Cheaper energy Telstra’s electricity costs rise by $100m the 2020 goal of 33,000 GW-hours a year, The Age. Business is demanding certainty on climate policy Telstra has warned the federal government its after years of political debate, but already there Think tank warns on power power costs have surged by more than $100 million are rumblings from former prime minister Tony blackout in summer in the past year, with a senior executive calling Abbott and conservatives on the government Warnings of electricity blackouts next summer due on Industry Minister Arthur Sinodinos for urgent backbench over the review. Fairfax Media has been to a lack of generation capacity should be used by action to address the crisis, Weekend Australian. told the report will focus on four key outcomes: government to implement a series of measures delivering energy security; reliability; affordability Snowy Hydro’s cost tipped to double to avert the looming crisis, mainly in SA and for households and business; and meeting The bill for the Snow Hydro expansion could be Victoria the Grattan Institute has warned in a new Australia’s emissions reductions targets. Dr twice the initial estimate, while the project’s report. To avoid shortages, energy market reform, Finkel told a briefing of state and territory energy delivery time frame has been increased by two rather than government using taxpayer funds ministers that under a clean energy target, years. Executives from Snowy Hydro Limited to build power stations, is essential, the Grattan coal would not be phased out as quickly as it have estimated that an essential upgrade of Institute said, along with the restart of some would under an emissions intensity scheme. power transmission lines from the mountains into mothballed power generators. Power generators, Sydney and Melbourne will cost up to $2 billion, for example, should be rewarded for being flexible Gas would play a less prominent role in Australia’s effectively doubling the cost of the total project. and responding quickly to avoid supply interrup- energy mix in a clean energy target, because But Snowy Hydro now believes that would take tions, while customers should receive financial of its higher relative price, but there would be up to sex years. This is because of ‘challenging’ incentives to limit usage at peak demand times, a greater role for renewable sources such as geology. As Snowy Hydro starts a $29 million which will help reduce pressure on supplies, it said. solar and wind. The scheme would be cheaper feasibility study, TransGrid has been assessing than business as usual, mostly because it would Adani pressures Qld by putting the scale of the upgrade needed to transmit bring more investment and greater long-term mine decision on ie another 2000 megawatts of electricity to the confidence to operators that would deliver greater Adani has postponed a final investment decision on major centres in Victoria and NSW, The Age. security. Its advantage over an emissions intensity its controversial Carmichael coal mine as the Indian scheme from a political point a view would be Anti-coal goal conglomerate waits on the Queensland govern- that the coal-fired sector would escape a penalty. Prime Minister Turnbull has made abandoning ment to propose a royalty agreement, The Age. coal-based energy a signature policy. He made ‘It’s more pro-coal [than an emission inten- $23b to fund direct action a key green entrepreneur, Alan Finkel, his chief sity scheme] because it won’t be a tax on Taxpayers would pay up to $23.6 billion for scientist and tasked him with reviewing the coal’, one source said. A business-as-usual Australia to meet international climate targets electricity market. The Finkel review canvasses scenario wold do the most to hasten the if the Turnbull government were to continue additional measures to expand the share of demise of coal, Finkel said, The Age. with its ‘direct action’ emissions- reduction wind and solar energy. Though camouflaged, fund as its main policy. After a request by the Power price surge and smaller retailers these will mean more costs to consumers and Greens, the federal Parliamentary Budget Office Due to the release of the Finkel review of coal-based electricity generators and generators estimated the cost of using the fund to meet the energy sector, the electricity market and regulations to shore up an electricity the target the Coalition submitted at the Paris is bracing for significant change, with the system made increasingly insecure by the forced climate summit- a 26 per cent emissions cut risk that surging prices will force at number displacement of coal by wind and solar. The compared with 2005 levels by 2030, The Age. of smaller retailers to quit, The Age. US is now unwinding its Obama-era restraints on coal and gas. This is reducing energy costs Cutting through emission schemes Fixing the gas crisis and attracting energy-intensive business from If you don’t know the difference between a Boral chief executive Mike Kane has declared across the world. Australia’s move in the opposite carbon tax and an emissions trading scheme, or a Australia needs to allow fracking to increase direction is not only bringing a contraction of low emissions target and an emissions intensity gas supply and help fix the nation’s energy energy-intensive industry but is contributing to scheme, wise up. Malcolm Turnbull now has crisis. The building materials company is one the general economic stagnation that this week’s the Finkel Review and will later this year receive of the nation’s largest energy consumers. Mr national accounts foreshadow. Unless our harmful the report of the official review of his government’s Kane said both the federal and state governments energy policies are reversed, lower living standards climate policies. Emissions trading scheme: It’s like needed to open the country to more exploration. are inevitable, writes Alan Moran in Herald Sun. a carbon tax (in fact, the carbon tax was designed Under plans released by Malcolm Turnbull, the to transition into one) except it uses carrots as well coalition intends to restrict offshore gas export as sticks. The government issues a limited number levels to ensure there is enough supply for of pollution permits, then eaves the polluters free domestic needs. The Coalition is meeting with gas

13 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

suppliers and consumers as part of a consultation Solar and wind power will with Germany on energy security’, with a view to phase to introduce the planned changes. The never come cheap becoming a strategic supplier of LNG in the region. government plans to have draft legislation Renewables are a poor alternative to coal-fired But author Vlado Vivoda, research fellow at the prepared by June and passed into law by July 1. energy. Sorry, Alan ‘Kohler’, you are wrong. There University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals is no way that wind and solar is cheaper to produce Kane said governments needed to allow fracking, Institute, found Germany had almost no incentive than coal-fired power, despite the assorted- and despite environmental concerns, to help lift gas or desire to import gas from Australia given its your- claims of the cost spiralling down. Wind and supply. Fracking has led to a shale gas boom in Mr closure, more attractive options. Germany is solar are not 21st century disruptive technologies Kane’s home country, the US. ‘We need to lift the doubling the capacity of its gas pipelines from but a back to a 19th century future ones. restriction of fracking in Australia’, he said. ‘It was Russia, despite the increasing turbulence of the solution in the US and it will be the solution The only way they are able to be competitive relations with Moscow. ‘Australia LNG cargoes in Australia. Once everyone comes to the point of with coal is by massive direct subsidies and their won’t be reaching Germany’s northern shores view, the problem will solve itself, The Australian. mandatory use under the RET- the renewable any time soon’, Dr Vivoda said. Australia is the energy target. What happens when every state world’s second largest exporter of LNG, mostly Finkel demands answers is wandering around with a long extension cord, to Asia. Exporters have eyed the German The Finkel plan wouldn’t have been necessary looking for somewhere to plug into? Writes Terry market, and Europe more broadly, as a path if other did their jobs. ‘We need a plan’ says the McCrann in The Weekend Australian. to beating Qatar for the No.1 spot, The Age. Finkel Review. Good idea- but it really shouldn’t have been needed at all. That it was needed is a Paris explained Energy cost $100m a year shocking indictment of all the people who are well What is the Paris agreement? In December A plan by the Weatherill government to ship in a paid to operate the electricity system and plan for 2015, 195 nations including Australia signed an fleet of temporary diesel generators to prevent its future- bureaucrats and politicians – but instead agreement to keep global temperature rises pre-election blackouts in South Australia will they have been milling about and squabbling- and to ‘well below 2 degrees’ compared to pre-in- cost taxpayers up to $100 million a year. The just falling down on the job. There have been dustrial levels. It was deliberately not a treaty news comes after The Australian revealed many plans and reviews over the years, but they in recognition that then-US president Barack that South Australian residents pay the highest were mostly consigned to the shredder of politics. Obama would not be able to secure Republican- electricity prices in the world, according to There are two important recommendations in controlled Senate approval. Each nation offered calculations by energy market consultant Bruce this one, apart from the existence of a plan at voluntary ‘nationally determined contributions’ Mountain. Mr Moutain said that South Australia all: first, what Finkel calls the clean eregy target to curb greenhouse gas emissions versus would overtake Denmark to ‘unequivocally’ and second, a demand response mechanism. business-as-normal pollution, mostly out to 2030. have the worlds highest power prices The agreement came into force in November before and after taxes, The Australian. Demand response- that is paying consumers 2016 when 55 nations, accounting for 55 per cent to moderate demand peaks rather than paying Cold storage firm finds itself frozen of emissions, ratified the accord, The Age. generators to supply them- is an obvious idea Americold is a global cold storage company that that was first suggested by the Parer Review State surge of unaffordable participates in ‘demand response’ – curtailing of 2002, which was the first review after the energy measures its energy use at times of high power demand to National Electricity Market was set up. Like Interfering in the market is likely to make matters help curb blackouts – in the United States, New this one, it said: ‘We need a plan!’ writes Alan worse than leaving well enough alone. We Zealand and Western Australia. But when it comes Kohler, The Weekend Australian. have some of the highest electricity prices in to the National Electricity Market- which covers the world compared with the cheap prices we Australia’s eastern states – the door to demand Finkel a game changer enjoyed a the turn of the century, writes Judith response is closed because of rules written by the Alan Finkel’s long-awaited report was hailed as a Sloan, contributing economics editor in Inquirer. Australian Energy Markets Commission. Americold potential game changer, with a recommendation operates in a highly competitive cold food storage that the CET succeeds the federal government’s Investors call for climate action market in Australia and its energy costs are rising RET when it expires in 2020, providing a tech- Some of the world’s biggest investors have faster than inflation, Peter Brice Americold’s direc- nology neutral guide for new energy investment pleaded with governments of the world’s largest tor facilities for Australia and New Zealand says; that would also reduce emissions. Among economies, including Australia, to stick with the recommendations made to the Council of their commitments to tackle climate change ‘We would welcome enhancements to the Australian Governments yesterday, the report calls and to introduce carbon pricing to help achieve National Electricity Market that provide the for new generating capacity to guarantee supply, them. There is strong-speculation that American cold storage industry an incentive to be flexible a move that forces wind and solar farms to have President Donald Trump could renege on with our demand and rewarded for serving the storage such as batteries or hydro power, as well his country’s commitments under the Paris grid with demand response at specific times’. as encouraging demand management systems. B Accord signed in 2015, which aimed to hold The lack of incentives for demand response, or temperature rises well below 2 degrees Celsius. demand management in Australia is a problem usiness groups united to voice support, saying the because the practice is thought by many to report would mark the end of a decade-old climate Now a group of investor organisations, committed be the swiftest way to for shore up our fragile and energy debate that has stalled investment and to encouraging action on climate change has power grid as more wind and solar power comes sent prices soaring. Energy Networks Australia written to member nations of the G7 and G20 in. The Finkel review of energy said rewarding chief executive John Bradley called the Finkel calling on all participants to move to implement consumers for demand management, combined blueprint ‘the last best hope’ energy customers had the Paris agreement. ‘While the private sector with improved energy efficiency, could help for a secure, reliable and affordable transition to can provide the investment required to build reduce electricity bills. It called for new rules ‘to cleaner energy. Business Council of Australia chief a secure, affordable and low emissions global better incentivise and orchestrate’ demand executive Jennifer Westacott said: ‘The individual energy system, we urge the G7 to set strong policy response, Australian Financial Review. measures in the blueprint need careful review signals which provide the investment certainty but its greatest success would be compelling needed to drive trillions of dollars into new clean Energy majors’ appeals shut off Australian governments to act together to lock energy investment opportunities’, The Age. Electricity network operators have hit out at down an agreed, national Strategic Energy Plan’. federal government plans to remove their German gas all hot air appeal rights, saying their role in recent price The BCA said the report acknowledged the need A report commissioned by the government rises was limited and that recent court losses by for a long-term trajectory that would allow the to investigate exporting gas to Germany has the Australian Energy Regulator showed it had market to decide the right energy mix to meet kyboshed the idea, and declared it ‘impossible’ for made mistakes that needed to be corrected. In a the target. ‘removing ideological preferences Australia to meet its Paris Agreement emissions move that could cost network operators billions for specific fuels and technologies contribute to targets under current policy settings. The of dollars in revenue, the government wants to security and reliability will allow fair competition Australian Strategic Policy Institute report dam- move unilaterally to remove the so-called limited on a level playing field, The Weekend Australian. ages hopes of Australia expanding its liquefied nat- merits review that allows network companies ural gas exports into Europe. Following an energy to challenge the AER’s ruling on how much security dialogue in Berlin in 2015, the ASPI was they can charge consumers, The Australian. asked to study options for a ‘strategic relationship

14 19 June to 25 July 2017

Musk to build SA batteries landfills do not price to cover the full cost of BHP will instead use the slogan ‘Think Big’ as South Australia will attempt to ease pressure on operation and remediation. Often they have been it seeks to improve its public image, The Age. its crisis-prone electricity grid with a world-leading ‘inherited’ as quarries and don’t include the cost Ex-Rio boss ‘has no fear of truth’ battery station more than three times the size of replacement in their pricing. This ultimately The former head of global miner Rio of its nearest rival, to be built by billionaire leaves an unfunded liability for residents to pick Tinto, Sam Walsh, ‘has no fear of the truth at entrepreneur Elon Musk. The 100 megawatt up. ‘We are still a long way from achieving each all’ and a clear conscience over the miner’s lithium ion battery, which will harness power from state government’s recycling targets’ says Mike dealings in west Africa that have sparked a French-owned wind farm north of Adelaide, will Ritchie from Sustainability Matters. at corruption investigation, The Age. store 129 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power about 13,000 homes for 24 hours, The Age. NSW gas The backers of a proposed project to pipe gas from Frydenberg lashes states Narrabri, in north-west NSW, to Newcastle, want State government policies on renewable energy the government to force the gas from the project and ‘mindless moratoriums’ on gas fields were to be sold in NSW, rather than be transported discussed at an energy ministers meeting as across state borders for export abroad. The push the Turnbull government tries to shift the comes as the manufacturing sector is gripped blame for rising power prices, The Age. by surging gas prices, which have forced several Get real on gas companies to look hard at closing operations, to Business council of Australia president Grant avoid looming losses. Gas prices have surged in the King says ‘What people need to understand about wake of the launch of several gas export projects gas is you just don’t go out and turn it on’. ‘You’ve AGRICULTURE, CATTLE AND WATER in Queensland, which has linked east coast gas got to invest a lot of capital, and that gets all the prices to international prices for the first time. Food rots as labour shortage hits way back to this question about creating the right A quarter of Australia’s vegetable growers are As a result, large users of gas have been hit by a decisions in Australia for people to invest’. Mr forced to abandon valuable produce which is left to spike in contract gas prices as they scramble to King, who oversaw large-scale LNG export rot because they can’t find enough workers to pick secure supplies. ‘We want the NSW government development as managing director of Origin and pack it. The study’s project leader, Associate to step in and ensure gas from Narrabri can only Energy for 16 years, said investment in gas supply Professor Joanna Howe, from the University be sold to NSW users, and cannot be moved was a long-term proposition, The Australian. of Adelaide Law School, said the challenge across state borders’, said Garbis Simonian, the Barrier Reef worth $56b of finding labour had become unsustainable prime mover behind plans to build a new pipeline The is worth $56 billion. That’s and the amount of waste was a significant loss linking Narrabri to Newcastle, The Age. the ‘total asset value’ according to a new Deloitte to the Australian economy. Howe says policy Arrium-wrestle Access Economics report that calculates the reform is needed to support growers, The Age. Two overseas buyers have submitted final World Heritage site’s full economic, social and Farmers rally bids for the entire remaining assets of iconic brand value for the first time. While many Dairy farmers supplying the Fonterra processing troubled steel and mining company Arrium, Australians would consider the reef priceless, company have called for consumers to boycott its its administrator says, Herald Sun. Deloitte believes you can put a number on it. At products, including Western Star butter, Mainland $29 billion, tourism is the biggest contributor to Argus slams Elliott cheese and Woolworths $1-a-litre discount milk. the value, followed by $23.8 billion from ‘indirect Former BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus has Farmers are furious the New Zealand dairy giant is or non-use value’ – meaning people who haven’t attacked Elliott Management’s attempt to refusing to refund milk cheque receipts taken from yet visited the reef but value knowing it exists. overhaul the mining giant, accusing the US farmers in the troubled 2015-16 financial year, when activist fund of fundamentally misunder- Its value to recreational users – such as the company claimed farmers had been overpaid standing the legal structures governing the weekend divers – is $3.2 billion. Commissioned and crashed the milk price by 70 per cent, The Age. group. Plans put forward by New York based by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Elliott would not get off the ground under the writes Adam Gartrell in The Age. provisions that have governed BHP since its SE Asian coal 2001 merger with Billiton, The Australian. Clean coal technology will prove critical to Statoil in Australia providing affordable and reliable electricity to Norway’s national oil company plans to use its more than 600 million people in Southeast Asia, reputation as a safe driller in rough seas near while reducing emissions by 1.3 billion tonnes in sensitive industries to succeed where supermajor the next 20 years, a new report claims. The study by BP did not – drilling for billions of barrels of oil that the ASEAN Centre for Energy and the World Coal could lie beneath the sea in the Great Australian Association (WCA) finds Southeast Asia will require Bight. Statoil, the junior partner in BP’s failed bid 800 terawatt hours of electricity generation to start drilling this year, yesterday revived the plan, between 2020 and 2035. The groups say meeting revealing it had taken 100 per cent of the project this requirement through renewable sources of MINING in an asset swap, The Weekend Australian. energy generation would require an additional Woodside wavers $500 billion capital investment, The Australian. Woodside Petroleum’s giant Browse gas project, AMP piles on pressure 425km off the coast of Exmouth and costing Influential fund giant AMP Capital has weighed Closing in on recycling targets anywhere up to $US75 billion ($100bn) to develop into the debate around restructuring BHP While the total number of active landfills in in its various guises, is the megaproject that Billiton, calling for an independent review of Elliot Australia is unknown, Commonwealth Government keeps getting up off the canvas. In the past Management’s plan to dissolve the big miner’s data indicates there are at least 600 mid to large five years, Woodside chief Peter Coleman as dual-listed structure and for BHP to provide more sites, while there could be as many as 2,000 overseen extensive studies, and then rejection, information on its plans for the controversial unregistered and unregulated landfills. The fact of both a $US75bn Broom LNG plant and a US shale business, The Weekend Australian. that we are unsure of the exact number of landfills $US40bn floating development, The Land. in Australia requires immediate review. Small, Adani to belong to the people- Hanson unlined landfills can still have significant localised ‘Billiton’ axed as BHP opts to Think Big Pauline Hanson has told the Turnbull government impacts and probably should be registered Global miner BHP Billiton is taking its first steps to build the billion-dollar Galilee Basin coal as contaminated sites on relevant registers. to preparing to drop ‘Billiton’ from its name, line itself, announcing she would oppose a with the launch of a global rebranding which ‘foreign multi-national’ from owning the crucial For the foreseeable future, landfill will remain will also mark the move away from styling the infrastructure. The rail corridor, which would run an integral part of the product/waste life cycle. group as ‘the big Australian’. In a $10 million from the coal basin to the Well-managed ‘best practice’ land-fills provide advertising campaign to commence this week, Abbot Point port on the state’s coast, has been safe disposal of residual waste and average 50% gas capture ‘whole of life’. Many council-owned

15 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

deemed a key feature of Indian mining company of drama and then head of television at the ABC Adani moving forward with its project, The Age. in the 1990’s, said content quotas that apply to the commercial networks should be extended to British firm beats Koreans for Arrium the public broadcaster, Weekend Australian. Australian steelmaker and mining group Arrium is set to be sold to the London-based GFG Oz will boycott decisions of ‘political stack’ Alliance, ended more than a year of uncertainty Ms McGrath’s role at GetUp! – an organisation that for the struggling company. In a move expected has in the past raised funds to publicly campaign to secure the jobs of more than 5500 workers, against News Corp Australia publications administration KordaMentha announced. The and mock election coverage from some of the deal remains subject to approval from the nation’s largest newspapers – has raised serious Foreign investment Review Board and the Arrium concerns among editors, who fear they will not be Committee of Creditors. ‘This is a great result given a fair hearing when complaints are raised IT for Arrium employees and the city of Whyalla’ about coverage of important public-interest The bush push said Administrator Mark Mentha, The Age. issues on topics such as climate change and A former public servant who oversaw the forced immigration. The Australian’s editor-in- Political risks relocation of federal government IT workers to chief, Paul Whittaker, said the Australian Press The local heads of oil giants ExxonMobil and BP Canberra decades ago has warned the Nationals’ Council’s decision to appoint Ms McGrath to have warned of growing political risks in Australia, ‘bush push’ will fall apart once ‘cooler heads its board made a ‘mockery’ of the council’s role as they weigh future investment here amid grow- prevail’. David Brown helped to move one of in independently adjudicating complaints ing policy uncertainty. But ExxonMobil Australian the last major public service departments from against news organisations, The Australian. chairman Richard Owen has delivered some good Melbourne to Canberra in the late 1980’s, The Age. news for tight east coast gas markets, saying the Dastyari wades into the media crisis NBN withholds internet speeds US economy wants to produce gas at current Dastyari, at the head of a posse of fellow senators, The National Broadband Network has details levels from the Bass Strait joint venture it owns including independents Nick Xenophon and Jacqui of the achievable internet speeds for every with BHP into the next decade, The Australian. Lambie, and Scott Ludlam of the Greens, initiated home it has connected but refuses to release a select committee on the worthy subject Minerals council mounts the information despite widespread confusion of the ‘Future of Public Interest Journalism’. more lobbying attacks among consumers seeking to connect. The fact What Dastyari and his cohort might usefully do is The Minerals Council of Australia has stepped up its NBN Co has both ‘theoretical’ speeds – the speeds give attention to the sort of tax incentives available lobbying efforts for a new coal-fired power plant it expects homes not yet connected will achieve in the US to encourage philanthropic and private to be built in Australia at a meeting with Coalition – and actual speeds post-connection also raises sector support for public interest journalism. They MPs in June. Under a plan advanced by the MCA’s questions as to the necessity of a $7 million federal might look particularly at requiring the Google chief executive Brendan Pearson, a new HELE (high government program to monitor connection and Facebook pirates to pay their fair share of tax, efficiency, low emissions) coal power plant would speeds in 4000 homes, The Australian. a portion of which could be set aside to provide compete with other forms of electricity generation tax relief for ‘public interest journalism’. ‘We need such as gas or renewables, backed up by storage, transparent debate about the reforms proposed for to provide reliable base-load power, The Age. the embattled sector’, writes Tony Walker, The Age. Mine fire ABC takes axe to Abdel-Magied program The owner of Hazelwood coal mine will face trial The ABC is axing the program hosted by Yassmin over the 2014 fire that blanketed the Latrobe Abdel-Magied a month after the television Valley in smoke for 45 days. French owner Engie presenter and activist sparked outrage over is facing 10 charges relating to the mine fire after her Anzac Day comments. Abdel-Magied has a seven day committal hearing finished up in the hosted Australia-Wide since 2016. Last month, the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court, Herald Sun presented courted controversy after publishing Coal mine transformed an Anzac Day Facebook post that suggested The Alcoa Anglesea mine and power plant closed in Australians should also remember the suffering JUSTICE 2015, but the community is now pushing innovative of refugees on Manus Island and Nauru, The Age. More jail sought for Anzac Day plotter proposals for the land, including a floating solar Fairfax boss accuses ABC A Melbourne man convicted over an Anzac farm. Alcoa’s plan to fill the former open-cut Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood has hit Day terror plot where he planned to behead a coalmine with water is estimated to take up to five out at the ABC for using taxpayer money to boost police officer should be given a loner sentence years, but the company said it will not determine the profits of multi-national corporations, such as because there is no evidence he rejected his the site’s final use. This month the company Google, and encroaching on to the terrain of news- radical beliefs. The Commonwealth Director of released its rehabilitation plan, involving diverting paper companies in an appearance before a public Public Prosecutions, Sarah McNaughton SC, said a creek to fill the former mine and connect the enquiry into the future of journalism, The Age. yesterday too much emphasis had been given new body of water to the Anglesea River, The Age. to Sevdet Ramadan Besim’s youth, immaturity, pre- Journalism needed vious good character and rehabilitation prospects There has been the launch of an Australian when he was sentenced last year to 10 years in Senate Inquiry into the future of public interest jail, with a minimum of 7.5 years. The Hallam journalism. ‘The fourth estate is in trouble, and man pleaded guilty to conspiring to do an act in so would the future be without it’ writes Sarah preparation for or planning a terror act, which has a Gill, a Fairfax Media columnist in The Age. maximum sentence of life imprisonment, The Age. Fairfax directors in talks Three federal ministers say sorry Private equity group TPG has approached A trio of Turnbull government ministers will make Fairfax Media about a $2.2 billion demerger an apology to Victoria’s highest court today, a of its online property classifieds business and week after they refused to say sorry for comments metropolitan mastheads in a bid that will attract critical of the judiciary. Fairfax media has learned political scrutiny and earn a cautious reception that Health Minister Alan Tudge and Assistant MEDIA from the company’s board, 8/05/17, The Age. Minister to the Treasurer Michael Sukkar have now Ex-ABC boss joins content rule push decided to reverse course and make the special Former director of ABC television Penny apology. The hearing on a Friday went ahead at Chapman has joined mounting calls for the the request of the ministers and wass designed national broadcaster to be subject to local to bring the matter to an end. Which it did. content quotas for TV drama, documentaries and children’s shows. Ms Chapman, who was head

16 19 June to 25 July 2017

The three Victorian ministers, all qualified lawyers, Bail changes hit gaols Corruption fighter wants faced being charged with contempt of court for The number of prisoners in Australian gaols has to clean up Canberra their public comments, which were made before surged by up to 40 per cent in the past five years, Legendary corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald is the Court of Appeal had announced its ruling new figures have revealed, as the Turnbull gov- challenging federal politicians to prove they on the appeals of Besim and another teenager ernment pushes state premiers to toughen truly are ‘honourable’ members. The former jailed for terrorism offences known as MHK. up bail laws at a meeting of federal and state judge has teamed up with the Australia Institute The judgement on the Besim and MHK cases is leaders, writes Eric Bahshaw in The Age. think tank to survey MPs on their ethical values due at 10am on the Friday, before the ministers’ as part of a push to clean up Canberra and build New doping tribunal apologised at 11.30am, 23/06/17, The Age. momentum for a federal anti-corruption body. The A new independent sports tribunal would end Queensland QC – who presided over the Fitzgerald Hinch scathing of judiciary the practice of national sporting bodies ruling on Inquiry that ultimately led to the resignation Cross bench senator Derryn Hinch slammed doping charges within their game. In a bid to avoid of the state premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen – has the Victorian Supreme Court for threatening scenarios such as the AFL sitting in judgement on developed the questionnaire, The Age. three Coalition government ministers with itself in the Essendon doping case in 2015, a federal contempt charges, saying the judiciary is government-backed tribunal would determine Croucher’s restraint, couples with her approach not above criticism and he would have told doping, match-fixing and other serious charges to freedom of speech, should reassure those who the court to ‘go jump’, The Age. against athletes. The change is mooted as part of a have come to see the Human Rights Commission national sports plan – to be developed in consulta- as the greatest threat to fundamental freedom, Oh Dear tion with sporting bodies – that will reform current writes Chris Merritt in The Australian. The NSW government has intervened in a financial systems that cover participation, professional scandal that threatens the future of the RSL’s Pell to be treated fairly athletes and integrity measures, Herald Sun. largest state branch, by appointing a former Police have not detailed the charges, and will Supreme Court judge to investigate. Retired Brandis overhauls tribunal not be releasing any further official information judge Patricia Bergin will have powers to compel Attorney General George Brandis has cleared before the hearing. It is now, up to the courts, co-operation from witnesses related to millions the decks of the troublesome Administrative and the courts alone, to deliver justice by of dollars in consultancy feeds paid to NSW Appeals Tribunal, making more than 60 rigorously testing the claims of the alleged branch councillors from the charity’s $1.3 billion appointments, including several people with victims and of the man they accuse, The Age. aged-care arm RSL LifeCare, The Australian. Liberal Party links. In recent months, the Pell restates innocence tribunal has been publically lambasted by senior ICAC chief slams developers, lobbyists George Pell has reiterated his innocence, as government ministers, who have questioned The outgoing head of NSW’s corruption com- one of Australia’s most senior Catholic clerics the appropriateness of its decisions, particularly mission, Jerrold Cripps, QC, has slammed the defended the Cardinal from ‘relentless character on immigration and visa matters, The Age. relationship between property developers and the attacks’ in relation to historic child sex abuse state government and said his organisation had Decisiveness allegations. Victoria Police has received advice insufficient resources for a major inquiry into polit- The positions of up to 100 AAT members expired from the Director of Public Prosecutions about ical lobbying, Australian Financial Review. Ha. on June 30 and the federal government removed its investigation into Cardinal Pell, days after a large number of them, including from the fresh details of the claims were aired, The Age. Federal prison for all jihadis migration and refugee division. Protection Terror suspects would be dealt with under My reply to hollow witch-hunt cries Minister Immigration Minister Dutton in May Commonwealth laws and, if convicted, thrown Probing accusations against Cardinal Pell has flagged the overhaul when he hit out at the AAT into Australia’s first maximum-security federal nothing to do with left or right bias, writes Louise for overturning decisions made by his office prison, under a bold plan by state governments. Milligan in The Age. Note: The editor suggests to kick foreign criminals out of Australia. The The Herald Sun can reveal that Victoria and that the focus on Pell is the bias, because Victoria government replaced Justice Duncan Kerr as the two other state Labor governments are Police, the Royal Australian Navy, the Education AAT president after his term expired last month, prepared to cede full responsibility for the Department and the Premier’s Department are with David Thomas, a Queensland Supreme prosecution, jailing and parole of terrorists to particularly ignored as ever being involved or aware. Court judge.. Dutton said it was of ‘great concern’ Canberra, in a bid to end the debate over who is What about putting some of those folk up on the stand, the AAT had allowed people who had broken responsible for national security, Herald Sun. or take away respected memorials to their lives? the law, to stay in Australia, Herald Sun. Lawyers fury over Dutton’s ‘fake refugees’ Faith Lawyers hit back at Dutton Refugee lawyers are furious over what they are Overlooked or ignored is evidence of another side The Law Council of Australia has attacked calling a breach of faith from the Turnbull govern- to Pell, including his record as the first churchman Immigration Minister Peter Dutton for jeop- ment in its new deadline for boat arrivals to lodge of any faith in Australia to lead a campaign to ardising the independence of the Administrative their asylum claims. Immigration Minister Peter remove paedophile priests and compensate Appeals Tribunal, after he questioned its Dutton announced on Sunday a ‘non-negotiable’ their victims. Nor has the media shown much decisions and political impartiality. Law Council October 1 deadline for about 7500 asylum seekers interest in the testimony of Pell defenders, president Fiona McLeod said tribunal members to submit claims for protection, or face deportation. including former choirboys and parishioners, reviewed government decisions ‘in accordance Describing it as a crackdown on ‘fake refugees’ and who knew Pell well. Given all that, and his own with law, not personal preference or ideology’. con-artists, Dutton accused asylum seekers of stern demeanour, how can Pell hope that a jury failing or refusing to engage in the asylum process ‘Any suggestion by government that Australian will have an open mind to the evidence? Yet and instead ‘taking the system for a ride’. But jurists are not acting with independence is for Pell, nothing but a court hearing can end this refugee lawyers argued the looming deadline was dangerous and erosive to our justice system,’ she nightmare or remove this stain on his character. arbitrary and unfair, and would lead to thousands said. ‘It undermines the public perception of the But, for the rest of us, I fear the worst. Once again, of rushed applications that were doomed to legitimate role of the judiciary and weakens the the pillars of our society are being shaken hard. fail or likely to end up in the courts, The Age. rule of law’. Readers might have other experiences Already, our trust in the big political parties that or coffee shop views. The AAT reviewed more Peter Dutton’s war on ‘fake refugees’ is misleading, form our governments has been shredded. One- than 11,300 visa decisions in the year to April, based on a false premise and dangerous in that third of voters prefer any other party than Labor or rejecting 39 per cent. Dutton said some of the it pre-empts a fair hearing of claims for refugee Liberal. Meanwhile, contempt for our history has cases were ‘infuriating’, The Australian. status, writes Michael Gordon, The Age. been taught so well that there are serious moves Jackson faces court to change Australia Day from January 26, and calls ATO boss quits Disgraced former unionist Kathy Jackson is to change our flag and anthem. And faith in our Senior tax official Michael Cranson has now facing more than 160 criminal theft and churches has crumbled so much that just 52 per resigned as deputy commissioner after fraud charges for allegedly misappropriating cent of Australians now professes themselves as facing court over a white-collar fraud scandal hundred of thousands of dollars from Christian, down from 61 per cent in just five years. linked to his son and daughter, The Age. the Health Services Union, The Age. Or, rather, in whom will younger salvation seekers now put their faith. Ahead lies danger, and not just for Pell, writes Andrew Bolt in Herald Sun.

17 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

without a further plan in place – many without Sydney airport warning – as the agency responsible scrambles The federal government has been told to find new to confront a litany of planning problems ways of involving the private sector in delivering at a critical time in its history, The Age. the multi-billion-dollar Western Sydney Airport after the operator of Sydney’s main domestic and New drugs international terminals said it could not make ‘Australia’s PBS is one of the foundations of our uni- the project stack up. The federal government versal health care system and is the envy of many decided it would develop the $6 billion project countries, Mr Hunt said. ‘The Turnbull government itself, in a move key players said overturned has a rock-solid commitment to Medicare and more than a decade of political consensus on part of this commitment is ensuring people have using private sector funding and expertise access to medicine when they need it’, The Age. to deliver major projects, The Australian. WELFARE Port charges Dutton presides over huge financial waste Patrick Terminals has blamed higher rents from Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is the latest port privatisation in Sydney and Melbourne in a series of immigration ministers, Coalition and rising electricity costs for increasing its and Labor, who have presided over one of the infrastructure charges at its four shipping most wasteful and misjudged policies in modern terminals, The Weekend Australian. Australian history – mandatory offshore detention of asylum seekers and refugees. This is not only a fiscal travesty, it’s a moral and legal one – as many as 90 per cent of the relatively small number of asylum seekers who have arrived by boat are found to be genuine refugees. Under international law ratified by Australia, they have a right to seek TRANSPORT asylum here and our government has a responsi- Uber faces probe into driverless tech ‘theft’ bility to treat them correctly. The editor says that Uber Technologies, already plagued by a keeping ‘refugees’ out of Australia, an Australian string of scandals, now faces the threat of a policy with which the Age obviously disagrees, was federal criminal probe into its development not even mentioned in this editorial, The Age. of driverless cars, a crucial initiative for the high-flying ride-hailing business, The Age. Another vocational collage faces closure FOREIGN AFFAIRS A private college that notched up an extraordinary Qantas’ Dreamliner service is a Australia pushes to end class action windfall from a badly-managed government loans disservice to loyal Australians The Australian government says it will not be scheme is the latest to face closure by the voca- After months of fanfare, Qantas recently released represented before a Jakarta court hearing a tional education regulator. Royal Gurkas Institute the details of its non-stop flight from Perth $103 million class action on behalf of 115 youths of Technology had its registration cancelled to London aboard its new Dreamliner. And incarcerated in Australia for alleged people smug- following audits by the Australian Skills Quality the loser is...Melbourne. Of course, increased gling. The Australian government ad conveyed its Authority. The Australian understands the chain competition means there are alternative position in writing to the Central Jakarta District has more than 200 staff and over 1400 students, airlines writes James Pawluk in The Age. Court that as a sovereign state, its agencies were most from overseas. On Thursday another college Business flights for MPs kids go not subject to the jurisdiction of the court. Lisa chain, Careers Australia, lapsed into voluntary Federal politicians using travel perks to bring Hiariej, said the case, on behalf of the 31 alleged administration. About 1100 Careers Australia their children to Canberra will lose access to people smugglers who were jailed while juveniles staff have been stood down and all classes business-class fares from July, while former MPs and 84 who were put in immigration detention, suspended, displacing more than 15,000 students. will have fewer free flights to the capital after was being brought to an Indonesian court because The Electrical Trades Union slammed the they leave Parliament. The Commonwealth it was a human rights case. This was despite the decision to place the company into administration Remuneration Tribunal said on Monday it had fact that the Office of the Commonwealth Director without warning, saying students and staff were formalised a range of recommendations from of Public Prosecutions had a legalised copy of his promised training would continue throughout the Turnbull government’s independent review birth certificate that stated he was still a child. 2017. Both colleges appear to have come unstuck of the travel rules for politicians, The Age. The Immigration Department had also interviewed by bingeing on the failed VET FEE-HELP loans Police care less Mr Jasmin and formed the view he was about 14. scheme, which fuelled a boom-bust cycle in Passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 The policy at the time was to not charge anyone the volatile vocational education and training had to wait 100 minutes after the plane returned with people smuggling who wasn’t established market. Gurkas has four campuses in Melbourne, to Tullamarine airport for Special Operations to be 19 and to instead return them home. A Hobart and Sydney, and teaches courses up to Group officers boarded the plane. By the time 2012 Human Rights Commission Enquiry found advanced diploma level in business, manage- the police moved in early yesterday morning, a the Federal Police were aware of material that ment, health, hospitality, English language and mentally unstable man who allegedly brandished called into question reliance on wrist X-ray information technology, Weekend Australian. a suspicious object and threatened to blow analysis but continued to use the procedure ‘Mutual obligation’ welfare up the plane soon after takeoff had been as a means of age assessment. It is a method The government will now use data to identify prob- subdued and restrained by fellow passengers that has now been discontinued, The Age lem areas, or people, and instigate a drug-testing for nearly two hours. He had been released States slam ‘homeland’ security plan regime for 5000 new recipients on a trial basis. from a psychiatric ward on the same day he Foreign investment is set for its biggest shake-up There are also increased wait times for people with boarded the busy flight to Kuala Lumpur. in a generation under a proposal that could put cash in the bank, and older job seekers will need to Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham rail, energy and port assets out of bounds and spend more time looking for work. Critics who have Ashton said :’Looking chronologically last give the federal government sweeping ‘last resort studied the New Zealand model Australia is basing night, I’m not seeing any time gaps or delays powers’ to take direct control of businesses if a lot of its reforms on say while there have been that were problematic’. Ashton said last night national security is at risk. In submissions to good outcomes, it can also further marginalise that the delay boarding the jet was because the federal government’s US Department of some of the most vulnerable within the system. police were investigating who was on board, the Homeland Security- style Critical Infrastructure Social Services Minister Christian Porter said potential for terrorism and the potential for Centre, state governments, the Law Council of his aim was to change behaviours, The Age. another device or devices. ‘These things had to Australia and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia Disability welfare disappears be assessed in the interests of the safety of the have criticised proposals that could discriminate More than 1200 families have had their National passengers’ he told ABC, The Australian against foreigners and undermine the responses Disability Insurance Scheme packages expire of state-based emergency services, Sunday Age.

18 19 June to 25 July 2017

Ireland chooses gay son of UK election Carr praises Gillard Indian immigrant for PM The election has deeply divided the country on Former foreign minister Bob Carr says Julia Ireland’s governing Fine Gael part has elected Leo demographic lines, with the under-25s even more Gillard should be congratulated for sending Israel Varadkar as its new leader, choosing the opposed to the Tories than they were to Brexit, and a ‘very strong message’ on home turf, after she told gay, 38-year-old son of an Indian immigrant retirees flocking to the Conservatives. The Tories the country’s politicians of her ‘mounting concern’ to succeed Edna Kenny as prime minister in can count on about two-thirds of the over-64s. over settlement policies. The former prime a striking sign of the country’s rapid social Polls differ strongly, giving the Conservatives a minister weighed in on the Israeli-Palestinian change writes Padraic Halpin, The Age. lead of between 1 per cent and 12 per cent coming conflict in a lecture before receiving an honorary into the last week of the campaign, The Age. doctorate from Israel’s Ben-Gurion University Friends with both, ally of one of the Negev. ‘Like so many other supporters Australia doesn’t need to sacrifice its US alliance Anti-slavery law of Israel around the world, I have watched to build closer China ties. It is certainly true that Federal Labor will announce the new policy today with mounting concern some of the political without US leadership and involvement, we would and call for the introduction of a Modern Slavery discussion in Israel which is inconsistent with not have been in most conflicts since 1951. But Act to impose new requirements on big business achieving a two-state solution’. The Australian. the alliance has not always been the sole driver to report on slavery and human trafficking in of decision-making, Weekend Australian. their supply chains. Britain introduced its Minister for Modern Slavery six or so years ago, The Age. Cut to Aid The Turnbull government is set to cut $300 Tories weakened million from its aid budget just as it receives a In April, Prime Minister Theresa May called a snap warning that China is attempting to increase its election, risking her government for the chance to leverage in Asia through aid, The Australian. bank a bigger majority against an apparently sham- bolic Labour opposition. With the Conservatives May meeting 20 points ahead in the opinion polls, it looked Trump and Turnbull fully recommitted themselves like a one-way bet to a landslide and a renewed to a traditional understanding of the alliance. five-year term for her party. But there followed one They did this because it is right for both nations. of the most dramatic collapses in British political It serves the fundamental national interests history. The talk back then was of a Conservative of both. Consider Trump’s words when talking DEFENCE majority of more than 100 MPs. The best case for about the alliance: ‘on behalf of America I want RAAF to join spy patrols the Tories today is a wafer-thin majority under a to thank the people of Australia’. Or: ‘Americans The RAAF will start flying advanced prime minister whose authority may never recover. have had no better friends than the Australians’. intelligence-gathering planes over the Or: ‘We are proudly and profoundly grateful ‘In her constipated, ill-tempered cam- southern Philippines to help the country’s for Australia’s contributions in Iraq, Syria and paign May tried to talk almost exclusively of Brexit. military beat back an onslaught by Islamic Afghanistan’ writes Greg Sheridan in Inquirer. But Labour was not running against her on Brexit’ State-affiliated insurgents, The Age. writes Greg Sheridan. Whoever becomes prime PM sets regional tee Future Submarine to be sized up next year minister will very soon have to grapple with three At the premier Asia-Pacific defence conference Just over a year since French naval contractor DCNS crises. First is the chronic instability that has taken in Singapore on the 2 June, the Prime Minister was selected to build Australia’s $50 billion fleet of hold of Britain’s policies and that will be hard to put Australia’s view that the region must counter next-generation submarines, program heads are suppress. This week’s poll reveals a divided country. the growing terrorist threats in the region as confident that early concept design work under Second, the economy is heading for the rocks well as economic nationalism to ensure security way will have determined the final dimensions in a way that few have yet registered. With the and economic stability. Regional ministers and of the Future Submarine by September next Brexit referendum result and a government with a leaders attending the dialogue are concerned year. Brent Clark, chief executive of DCNS Australia, small but stable majority, the British government about the return of foreign fighters from the confirms that they reported 8.8 metre diameter will now be constantly hanging by a thread. Middle East creating Islamist terror threats of the submarine will not change. The length at a time of growing regional tensions over The statistical oddity of this election is dizzying. of the 94m-97m referred to in DCNS marketing North Korea and China, The Australian. The Conservatives seem to have won 319 seats in material was ‘pretty spot on, although a couple a parliament of 650, leaving them seven short of of metres added to the length of a submarine is Canberra backs Taiwan a bare majority. Another irony: they were saved neither here nor there’, he says. ‘My guess is that The Australian government is backing the by winning 13 seats in Scotland, their best result it’ll probably be closer to 97m than 94, Defence right of Taiwan to attend a global health since 1983. They also barely scraped across the line Special Report in The Weekend Australian. summit in Geneva next week, after China in three London constituencies whose neighbours blocked Taiwan’s invitation, The Age. Australia should challenge China all went Labour (London was a disaster for the The recently retired Defence head Dennis No levy will satiate Chinese hunger Conservatives) apparently because of a sizeable Richardson has said Australia should carry Soaring prices of property in China are Jewish vote in those electorates. British Jews used out its own ‘freedom of navigation’ naval contributing to the stratospheric rises to vote Labour. Corbyn’s ugly roll of anti-Semite operation to challenge China’s claim over locally, writes Peter Hartcher in The Age. gargoyle friends seems to have affected only this waters surrounding artificial islands in small corner of Britain, writes Paul Kelly in Inquirer. Middle East the South China Sea, Sunday Age. What a pity the Christian children of the West Fry facing blasphemy Climate change a threat to security have never been exposed to the history of the Irish police have launched an investigation Former Defence Force officers have warned that Middle East, except perhaps through the murky, into Stephen Fry after a viewer claimed comments climate change will emerge as the defining security distorted lens of the Crusades which effectively made by the British comedian on a TV show threat of this century and have urged governments demonised Muslims. Our terrible ignorance of were blasphemous. Officers are understood to step up their responses accordingly. The the Middle East is a crying shame, writes Michael to be examining whether the actor committed government has dismissed the call arguing Hutchinson from Port Melbourne in The Age. a criminal offence under the Defamation Act. the Defence Force is already taking necessary On the show, Fry was asked what he would UK migration hits Australians action. But a former Defence Force chief, retired say if he met God outside the pearly gates. Anti-migrant policies announced by British admiral Chris Barrie says the overall response to He responded: ‘I would say, ‘Bone cancer in Prime Minister Theresa May will make it the ‘existential threat’ needs to be ramped up as children? What’s that about?’ ‘How dare you harder for Australians to work in Britain, and Australia faces particular exposure to the conse- create a world in which there is such misery increase healthcare costs. The bad news comes quences of extreme weather events, Sunday Age. that is not our fault? It’s not right, The Age. as Australians are flocking to Britain to take Ballistic missiles ‘needed’ jobs in unprecedented numbers, according Nod to Palestine Australia needs to consider a missile defence sys- to statistics out this week, The Age. This nasty anti-Israel resolution, passed at the NSW tem to defend against attack from nuclear-armed Alp state conference, has embarrassed senior ALP North Korea, former prime minister Kevin leaders, writes Greg Sheridan in The Australian. Rudd says. Mr Rudd has reversed the position he

19 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

held in office, saying North Korea’s newly demon- blow’ for GPs that won’t improve affordable Cricket bats strated ability to reach northern Australia meant it access to healthcare. The federal president of Cricket Australia and its players, through the was time to consider homeland defence, The Age. the Australian Medical Association, Mr Michael Australian Cricketers Association, remain at Gannon, welcomed the government’s health loggerheads over a new pay deal, prompting the Army buys $100m fleet of drones policy reset – particularly the early lifting of the extraordinary step to cancel the July Australia The army will buy a fleet of the 1.3 kilogram drones, controversial freeze on Medicare patient rebates. A tour of South Africa. Since the original MOU which have a wingspan of less than one metre But the AMA’s leadership in NSW has broken ranks was brokered in 1997, players have been paid and can fit into a backpack disassembled. They to brand it a major disappointment, The Age. from gross revenue from broadcast rights, gate can be easily put together and flown ahead of a receipts and advertising. Players maintain they team of soldiers to send back colour and infrared Shorten accuses PM of want a gross, not surplus, share of funds, The Age. images, looking over hill-tops and other obstacles. buying doctors’ silence Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne and Bill Shorten has described the Turnbull govern- Defence Minister Marise Payne announced the $101 ment’s slow thaw in the Medicare rebate freeze million purchase, continuing a military trend in as ‘cash for no comment’ designed to buy doctors’ which machines and software play an ever greater silence on healthcare issues. Shorten was to release role on the battlefield. They will initially buy new independent costings of the government’s US-designed WASP AE drones, but will tailor them plan, which he says shows the budget locks in to Australian needs using technology provided $2.2 billion in Medicare cuts over the next four by firms in Melbourne and Canberra, The Age. years. The Parliamentary Budget Office analysis shows that fully lifting the Medicare rebate freeze Time to get real on July 1 would have cost $3.2 billion, but Mr The murderous rampage mowing down pedestri- Hunt’s policy will cost less than $1 billion, The Age. ans on London Bridge comes as the latest incident less than two weeks after the Manchester suicide SOCIETY bombing that killed 22 and left dozens more Defending free speech seriously injured, and just over 10 weeks after The level of public debate in Australia hit a new the Westminster terror attack that killed five low on Tuesday when Leftist activists stalked and left more than 40 injured. And yet no matter and physically assaulted conservative colum- how loudly and proudly terrorists proclaim their nist Andrew Bolt as he was about to launch his new motives, there are some who want to blame the book at a restaurant in Carlton. Bolt is auctioning West, marginalisation, mental illness, anything the suit the attackers ruined with proceeds but the root cause of worldwide terror; Islamism. going to Very Special Kids. The top bid last night Prime Minister Turnbull did not mince his words stood at $5500. Mary Aldred, Herald Sun. in calling Islamist terror real and vowing to find Don’t attack the man, students told and destroy them. We can only hope that rhetoric SPORTS ‘Privileged’ male students have been told to be is followed by tough action. As it stands, only Avoiding a new ‘Montreal moment’ more like women by curbing their confidence and two returned jihadists have been prosecuted, the The Australian Institute of Sport is facing a refraining from dominating or showing off during remainder walk free with counter-terrorism author- crisis of neglect, writes Andrew Leigh, federal classes, following workshops run by the University ities unable to prosecute them because of the member for Fenner. Since 2007, annual visitor of Melbourne Student Union. Men should difficulty in obtaining evidence from Syrian and numbers have dropped from 123,900 to 113,700. acknowledge that being born male and white Iraqi authorities, writes Rita Panahi in Herald Sun. As fast as the Australian population is growing, affords them certain privileges and reconsider the Day reserved for tanks and praise visitor numbers to the institute seem to be use of ‘Australian banter’ during tutorials because The annual Reserve Forces Day Parade is held at shrinking. More than one critic has described it of the risks of excluding students from other the Shrine of Remembrance, this year’s service as a ‘ghost town’. My fear today is the AIS may cultural backgrounds. Following recent workshops commemorated the century of the Battle of one day experience its own ‘Montreal moment’. on ‘how privilege manifests itself in tutorials’, Beersheba and the Tahk Battle of Cambrai. recommendations were given to university staff In June, the Turnbull government announced it was Lighthorse men on horseback dressed in WW1 last week. ‘The workshops are a direct assault on developing a ‘national sports plan’. But the Institute costume took part in the parade, which also masculinity...designed to make men feel ashamed seems to be only a minor part of that discussion. included an RAAF vintage aircraft flyover and a of being men’ says Bella D’Abrera of the Institute That’s why I’m keen to hear your ideas for reinvig- display of heritage service vehicles, Herald Sun. of Public Affairs, 19/05/17, The Australian. orating the institute. Drop me an email, and let’s start the conversation about how to make sure the Leaders ‘gutless’ on Uluru plan Australian Institute of Sport keeps brining home One of the key lawyers in the Mabo case, Bryan gold for Australia writes Andrew Leigh in The Age. Keon-Cohen, has described the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution as Payne’s drug pain modest and conservative, and challenged ‘gutless Michelle Payne will return from a drug-related sus- politicians’ to support it. ‘It provides advice only pension in time to take on the world’s best jockeys and Parliament can do what it likes with that in England. Payne was handed a one month ban advice, including ignoring it’. Prominent consti- by Racing Victoria stewards following a positive tutional lawyer, Professor Adrienne Stone, has urine test for banned substance Phentermine, also supported the proposal as consistent with included in a weight-loss drug, Herald Sun. Australia’s constitutional culture, The Age. Swiss probe Our constitution already HEALTH Swiss prosecutors have examined multi-mil- gives first nations a say Drugs supply scarce lion-dollar Australian taxpayer-funded payments We can admit to decades of failure, but let’s Australia’s hospitals reported shortages of more to controversial lobbyists hired at the behest not risk dividing Australians. What is a viable than 1500 medicines on a single day, including of billionaire Frank Lowy to help Australia win path that addresses as much of the desires lifesaving antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs. the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Fairfax of indigenous Australians as possible while A snapshot national survey on April 4 found Media ca reveal that the examination of the avoiding conflict? James Patterson, Liberal 1577 individual medicine shortages in 280 Football Federation Australia’s records is part Senator for Victoria, 02/06/17, The Australian. hospitals across the nation, Herald Sun. of a major Swiss criminal probe into an alleged corruption conspiracy said to involve a handful Some serious dancing Doctors divided over Medicare policy reset of former European football officials, The Age. Mr Yunupingu, almost 70, has sent a delegation Doctors have split over the Turnbull government’s of Gumatj clan leaders to Uluru, were about health budget, with the NSW arm of the peak lobby 250 Indigenous Australians gathered to discuss group going rogue to describe it as a ‘crushing what form of constitutional recognition to seek

20 19 June to 25 July 2017

from Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten. The publically assaulted by a pie-hurling, Bible-bashing There is no excuse for delaying this any further. The unprecedented, three-day Indigenous dialogues homophobe. Why? Because Joyce, like so many medical profession has carefully considered the nationwide where the message has been that other prominent Australians, including a growing health consequences of continued discrimination minimalist or purely symbolic change won’t chorus of business leaders, advocates for marriage and made an emphatic statement that it should cut it, and that whatever emerges must give equality. For such unremarkable decency, Joyce end. I think politicians now have a duty of care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people more not only got whacked in the face with a pie. He was the community to make sure marriage equality is power over their lives and more freedom. Noel attacked, too, by charming, comedic Immigration introduced as soon as possible’ she said. The Age. Pearson has used the metaphor of the debate Minister Peter Dutton, who, bless him, reckons Divide of rich man poor man over same-sex marriage to make the point that CEOs should focus on running their companies The yawning gap between rich and poor in partial recognition will not suffice. But the instead of jamming ‘politically correct views down Australia should be formally tracked by the nation’s task is fraught, perhaps more fraught than the our throat’ writes Michael Short, 14/05/17, The Age. prime economic review body, the Productivity one that confronted activists before the 1967 Terror experts back ASIO Commission, according to a Labor senator who referendum, half a century ago, for two reasons. chief over Hanson has drafted legislation to bring it about. The first is that there is no clear consensus Counter-terrorism experts have overwhelmingly The proposal would ensure any negative among Indigenous people about what form of backed spy boss Duncan Lewis in his assessment impacts on the poor arising from government recognition should take, though there has been there was ‘no evidence’ linking refugees to Islamic policies are specifically measured and taken strong support at the dialogues for enshrining terrorism, cautioning his critics against inflaming into account in program design. Known for its in the constitution an Indigenous voice to the tensions with Muslims. Mr Lewis, director general market-oriented, pro-business disposition, the parliament. The other is the doubt about whether of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Productivity Commission is the government’s the politicians will be willing to embrace what is also told One Nation leader Pauline Hanson there prime, independent economic adviser, The Age. decided and put it to the people, given that only was no evidence the children of refugees were eight of 44 referendums have been successful, more likely to convert to radical Islam, The Age. We need science writes Michael Gordon for The Age, 24/05/17. The protest march on the 23 April in support of Forrest’s $400m gift sparks science and research saw more than 3,000 people PM challenged to deliver calls for others to dig deep in Melbourne supporting thousands more around indigenous voice, treaty Andrew Forrest believes the huge scale of the Australia and tens of thousands in the US and Indigenous leaders have issued a united challenge philanthropic donation made by his family will elsewhere including Brazil and Chile, Sunday Age. to Malcolm Turnbull to back a constitutionally encourage other wealthy individuals to follow recognised Aboriginal ‘voice’ to parliament that suit, leading to a new age of Australian giving. The Abbott on cultural cowardice would influence legislation, and a separate iron ore baron turned social policy benefactor Tony Abbott has accused political leaders of not process leading to treaties. A historic three-day on Monday unveiled ambitious targets for the doing enough to promote ‘Australian values’, Referendum Council in the shadow of Uluru has unprecedented $400 million his family has devoted claiming that a ‘cultural cowardice’ at the heart repudiated advocates of so-called minimalist to international cancer research, early childhood of public institutions such as the ABC and the symbolic change to the Constitution. Indigenous education and social cohesion. Through it he federal public service had caused many voters leaders called for a referendum to be put to hopes to catalyse government and private sector to walk away from the major parties, The Age. the Australian people to provide ‘constitutional co-investment and also to inspire other wealthy DIY infrastructure reforms to empower our people and take a rightful private citizens to give back to their communities. As population growth puts a growing strain on place in our own country’, Weekend Australian. The money will be allocated as follows: $75 million public facilities, former Treasury Secretary Ken Constitution change to coordinating world cancer institutes to make Henry says local communities and businesses Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has cautiously lethal cancer history for the coming generation. should play a bigger role in developing infrastruc- responded to Indigenous leaders’ calls for a $75 million to giving every child their best chance. ture projects that do not rely on government. The constitutionally enshrined ‘voice’ to Parliament, $75 million to higher education and breakthrough National Australia Bank chairman will launch a warning that Australians are ‘conservative’ research. $75 million to removing modern slavery new paper setting out a model for ‘customer-led about constitutional change, The Age. from human history. $50 million to creating DIY infrastructure’, an attempt to get local commu- equality of opportunity among all Australians, and nities more involved in infrastructure development. Where’s the representation? $50 million to building stronger communities. ‘The A former governor-general and a former Henry will highlight the importance of small- generous person, the loving person, gives back’ defence force chief have declared constitutional er-scale local infrastructure such as sporting commented PM Malcolm Turnbull, The Age. indigenous recognition must produce ‘tangible, grounds and parks, alongside larger projects such positive results’, an intervention that will boost Doctors push for same-sex marriage as rail lines or airports. The NAB-sponsored paper support for an elected parliamentary advisory The nation’s most powerful doctors’ group has he is launching, by John Grill Centre executive Garry body. Michael Jeffery and Angus Houston have thrown its weight behind same-sex marriage for Bowditch, sets out a model that could make infra- dealt a fresh blow to attempts to achieve the first time, declaring it a public health issue and structure less dependent on governments, The Age. indigenous constitutional recognition by a calling on politicians to end the divisive debate. Change in honours climate so-called minimalist model by backing efforts to After a 14-year internal tussle, the Australian The 2017 Queen’s Birthday honours list is the put a question to a national referendum that could Medical Association will today issue a new policy most progressive in Australian history with produce wide ranging constitutional change. position paper that states excluding same-sex the top award going to advocates of climate couples from marriage has significant mental and They are the most senior establishment figures yet change, same-sex marriage, philanthropists and physical health consequences and contributes to acknowledge the mood at indigenous consulta- the nation’s leading actress. Nine hundred and to high suicide rates in the gay community. tions nationwide against minimalism, which is said sixty-eight people were honoured. Since 1975 to be preferred by politicians, calling instead for ‘a The president, Dr Michael Gannon said the these awards have helped define, encourage full and dignified reconciliation’ and ‘tangible, pos- prolonged, divisive public debate about marriage and reinforce Australian goals and values. They itive results’ from the outcome, The Australian. equality had damaging effects and the Parliament identify role models who give without thought should legislate for same-sex marriage as soon as of recognition or personal gain, The Age. From the Heart, for the children possible. Sydney physician and campaigner Kerryn ‘Our children are alienated from their families at Australia lags behind in preschool Phelps became the inadvertent early figurehead of unprecedented rates; this cannot be because we Australia is lagging significantly behind other the same-sex marriage movement when she was have no love for them. And our youth languish in OECD countries when it comes to the number of publically outed by the media in 1998, shortly after detention in obscene numbers; they should be three-year –olds enrolled in high-quality preschool she travelled overseas to marry her partner Jackie our hope for the future’, Weekend Australian. programs, which could be affecting students’ aca- Striker. Two years later, she was elected head of the demic performance up to at least year 10, The Age. There’s no fair go if love’s unequal AMA – the first woman and first gay person to fill It’s not ok to persecute people because of their the role. ‘I don’t think the religious, cultural right- Sir Frank sexuality, writes Michael Short. Second, the abused wing conservatives now have anywhere to hide. Frank Lowy received a knighthood in the Queen’s CEO. In the days after Jon Jon and Rod’s wedding Birthday Honours announced in London. Sir party, openly gay Qantas boss Alan Joyce was Frank was recognised for his contribution to

21 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

Another Alistair The term of Australia’s Consul-General in the Big Apple, Nick Minchin, is up after three years. Alistair Walton, currently Australia’s Trade Commissioner in Texas and former Goldman Sachs Australia chief. Walton was a university contemporary of Peter Costello and Michael Kroger, Australian Financial Review. Moving right along A parliamentary committee last week endorsed a $236.9 million plan to replace the 50-year-old embassy in Washington, DC, with an environmen- tally friendly building. The new structure on Scott Circle at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue, little more than a kilometre from the White House, would use natural light, openness and an array of solar panels to boost environmental efficiency. Bates Smart, the Melbourne firm behind the original embassy, won the bid to design the new one. Scaffolding and netting was erected around the exterior of the embassy three years ago and remain in place to prevent pieces of the facade falling and hitting visitors or pedestrians, The Age. Trump leaves summit President Trump, on 2 June withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, dealing a huge blow to international efforts to combat global warming. US allies signalled their strong opposition to this decision that would cut the Americans adrift from international targets on emissions reductions, The Age. The Australian probably gave another/contra perspective. Pumped up Trump What a way to bring Trump's mother into the debate. for greater strength to combat a resurgent US President Donald Trump spent his 100th night the British economy, after Westfield built two Taliban, Weekend Australian. in office the same way he spent much of his enormous shopping centres. Westfield London winning campaign – whipping an ebullient Just perfect opened its doors in 2008 while Westfield Stratford rally into a near-frenzy by slamming the media, President Trump feels ‘completely and totally City opened in 2011, a year ahead of the London Hollywood, Hillary Clinton and undocumented vindicated’ by testimony from sacked FBI Olympic Games. Sir Frank, born in 1930, survived immigrants, while also talking up what he felt boss James Comey, according to the President’s he Holocaust in Hungary and fought for the were his unsung achievements over ‘100 days of personal lawyer. Comey, who was to appear before Israeli army as the country won independence action’. The Speech was significant not only as the Senate intelligence committee overnight, in 1948. He arrived in Australia in 1952 with a marker of where Trump was – a key state he said in seven pages of prepared testimony a suitcase and little else, The Australian. flipped from Democrat to Republican in the 2016 that Trump has raised the FBI probe into Russian election – but also because of where he was not – at meddling in the US election a number of times, and the traditional White House Correspondents’ asked for ‘loyalty’ and an announcement that he Dinner in Washington. Trump, who was famously was not the target of the investigation. Comey says ridiculed by President Barack Obama at the 2011 he offered Mr Trump that ‘assurance’ but black tie dinner, thumbed his nose at the press and resisted appeals to make this public, ‘most at tradition by skipping the event and holding his importantly because it would create a duty to own celebration with his true believers instead. correct, should that change’, Herald Sun. Trump, ‘I could not possible be more thrilled Flynn pleads the fifth with Senate than to be more than 100 miles away from the Former White House national security Washington swamp spending my evening with advisor Michael Flynn refused to comply with all of you and with a much much larger crowd Letter from America: a subpoena from the Senate intelligence and much better people’. Earlier that day, tens NATO critique committee as it investigates possible of thousands of protestors had jammed the Russian interference in the 2016 US election, President Trump recently launched an nation’s capital for the People’s Climate March, writes Patricia Zengerie of The Age. extraordinary broadside at NATO allies for urging action on climate change. Trump also failing to pay their fair share of the defence bill. Trump probe talked up his achievements over what he said The US President used the most public forum In Washington it seems few people outside the had been ‘100 days of action’ – appointing a possible – his first NATO summit in Brussels – to White House are challenging the central claims new justice to the Supreme Court, withdrawing accuse members of the alliance of owing ‘massive made by Comey about Trump’s attempt to the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and amounts of money’, Weekend Australian. influence the FBI’s Flynn investigation, Inquirer. ending the ‘war on beautiful clean coal’. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is an inter- In a signal to President Trump that the He again promised to build a wall along the governmental military alliance between several sacking of FBI director James Comey would border with Mexico, despite not yet securing North American and European states, based on not prompt a back-pedal on investigations, funding from either Mexico or Congress, The Age. the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed in 1949, the US Justice Department has appointed Another Star to the Flag? headquartered in Brussel Sprouts. Sixteen nations. a special counsel to investigate possible Puerto Ricans have voted overwhelmingly to collusion between Mr Trump’s campaign and Perhaps more Diggers in Afghanistan become the United States’ 51st state. Puerto associates and the Kremlin, The Age. The US has asked Australia to commit more Rico has been a US territory since 1898, when troops to Afghanistan, under a NATO push the island was acquired from Spain after the Spanish-American War. Any hard-copy subscriber

22 19 June to 25 July 2017

to Letter From Canberra who contacts the Editor Putin loves Hillary as a result of reading this item will receive a copy President Donald Trump, battling allegations that of the book Take a Message to Garcia. The recent Russia helped him win the White House, now non-binding referendum was the fifth time says Vladimir Putin would have preferred a Hillary that Puerto Ricans have voted on their future. Clinton victory. He also came to the defence of Donald Trump Jr after the release of emails They have generally chosen from statehood, showed his eldest son’s embrace of an ‘official’ independence and remaining a territory. ‘A 97 per Russian offer to provide ‘incriminating’ evidence cent win is the kind of result you get in a one-party on the Democratic candidate, The Australian. regime’. The vote came weeks after Puerto Rico declared a form of bankruptcy in the face of $US74 billion ‘$98 billion’ in debt and $US 49 billion in pension obligations it cannot pay. More than 150 VALE public schools are being closed as a mass exodus Mark Colvin died at the age of 66 last month of Puerto Ricans head for the mainland, The Age. will be remembered as a great mentor and JFK grandson has political ambitions a mate who will be sorely missed. He was John F. Kennedy’s only grandson has given his known for his programs ‘PM’ on ABC radio first major interview, discussing how Barack and The World Today, Weekend Australian. Obama inspired him and fielding questions about his own future political ambitions. Jack Schlossberg, who is about to begin a course at Harvard Law School, Obama’s alma mater, spoke DOG CORNER alongside his mother, Caroline Kennedy, the Coffee Dog formed US ambassador to Japan, The Age. A Lady and her lovely Labrador were in the Trump has scared us Excellent Excello Spring Street Coffee Shop, in The vast majority of Australians say the late July 20117. Evidently, they fly over from world is becoming more hazardous and Perth about once a year or so, to see a couple their confidence that America will play a of shows. Aladdin and some Rock Shows on constructive role in global affairs has plummeted this visit. Editor has always refrained from since Trump became president, The Age. patting Assistance Dogs, but on this occasion the Lady said it was quite fine to do so! Editor’s note: The Age says this on its front page. Most city Australian voters would only have the Age and Woof Woof the Sydney Morning Herald and the ABC as their Chinese authorities have banned dog meat sales at presenter of news. Evidently, readership of The Australian the country’s notorious Yulin dog-eating festival. and the (Victorian) Herald Sun might well have a The annual festival in Yulin, in China’s south-west, more empathetic view of America and its leadership. has in recent years emerged as a lightning rod for animal rights campaigners, The Age. US ethics chief resigns Walter Shaub Jr, the United States government’s Man’s best pal top ethics watchdog who has repeatedly gone Kennel Club’s annual Dog Photographer of head-to-head with the Trump administration over the Year contest, the world’s largest canine conflicts of interest, is calling it quits. Shaub’s five- photography awards. Now in its twelth year, the year term as the director of the Office of competition received almost 10,000 entries from Government Ethics is not set to expire until January, 74 countries around the globe, Herald Sun. but with little chance of renewal and an appealing offer in hand from a non-partisan advocacy group, he said the time was right to leave, The Age. AFFAIRS OF STATE Established in 1993, Affairs of State is an independent Australian public affairs firm with contemporary international connections. Affairs of State provides a matrix of professional tools to multinational businesses, professional and industry associations, government agencies, pressure groups, NGOs and community causes in Australia and abroad. The firm works with many engineering and information technology firms and other professional association and industry groups on a wide range of issues in Victoria, Canberra and overseas. The firm provides the following to clients: ʇʇTwo monthly publications ʇʇEvents at our offices and elsewhere ʇʇCharts and specialist directories ʇʇFacilitation with business and legal skills ʇʇTraining courses ʇʇMentoring of senior executives

23 Letter From Canberra // Issue 92

Letter from

CanberrNow in our tenth year. a

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER—AFFAIRS OF STATE Established in 1993, Affairs of State is an independent Australian public affairs firm with contemporary international connections. Affairs of State provides a matrix of professional tools to multinational businesses, professional and industry associations, government agencies, pressure groups, NGOs and community causes in Australia and abroad. The firm works with many engineering and information technology firms and other professional association and industry groups on a wide range of issues in Victoria, Canberra and overseas. The firm provides the following to clients: ʇʇ Two monthly publications ʇʇ Events at our offices and elsewhere ʇʇ Charts and specialist directories ʇʇ Facilitation with business and legal skills ʇʇ Training courses ʇʇ Mentoring of senior executives

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